Serie A1 Sustenium
Round 24
Round 24 starts on Saturday with Vibo Valentia versus San Giustino, while the big games on Sunday will be Piacenza versus Macerata and Modena versus Roma as coach Giani goes back to the city where he won everything.
Round 24
Saturday 5 March at 4pm
Tonno Callipo Vibo Valentia – RPA-LuigiBacchi.it San Giustino Live on Rai Sport 2 at 10pm
Live streaming on http://www.raisport.rai.it/dl/raisport/multimedia/diretta.html
(Ippoliti-Zucca)
Sunday 6 March at 6pm
Copra Morpho Piacenza – Lube Banca Marche Macerata Live on Rai Sport 1
Live streaming on http://www.raisport.rai.it/dl/raisport/multimedia/diretta.html
(Padoan-Boris)
Sisley Treviso – Andreoli Latina
(Caltabiano-Braico)
Bre Banca Lannutti Cuneo – BCC-NEP Castellana Grotte
(Rapisarda-Cipolla)
Casa Modena – M. Roma Volley
(Sobrero-Sampaolo)
Itas Diatec Trentino – Marmi Lanza Verona
(Saltalippi-Pessolano)
Acqua Paradiso Monza Brianza – Yoga Forlì
(Tanasi-Cappello)
League table
Itas Diatec Trentino 61, Bre Banca Lannutti Cuneo 50, Lube Banca Marche Macerata 44, Sisley Treviso 40, Casa Modena 35, Acqua Paradiso Monza Brianza 34, Marmi Lanza Verona 29, RPA-LuigiBacchi.it San Giustino 28, Tonno Callipo Vibo Valentia 26, Copra Morpho Piacenza 25, M. Roma Volley 24, Andreoli Latina 20, BCC-NEP Castellana Grotte 18, Yoga Forlì 7
Tonno Callipo Vibo Valentia – RPA-LuigiBacchi.it San Giustino
PAST ENCOUNTERS: 13 (9-4 San Giustino)
Vincenzo Simeonov (Tonno Callipo Vibo Valentia): “We’re getting to this encounter with San Giustino in the best possible conditions and with everybody fit to play. We know it will be a key game and, following the win over Forli, we are extremely motivated to get another positive result. Besides, we want to redeem ourselves for the worst game of our season: our first meeting with San Giustino. This game was a turning point. They’re playing good volleyball, so we’ll have to give it our best shot. A win would take us in the fight for a playoff spot, and that motivates us even more”.
Danilo Finazzi (RPA-LuigiBacchi.it San Giustino): “We are more confident following the victory over Treviso. We know we can count on everyone, including the ones from the bench. Now that we have obtained our tenth league victory, our target is the playoffs. The first obstacle is Vibo Valentia, another team aiming for the post season. They are just two points behind us. In the Palakemon we won 3-0, but away from home it will be a whole new game. But we’ll give our best as always.
Copra Morpho Piacenza – Lube Banca Marche Macerata
PAST ENCOUNTERS: 24 (12 each)
Luca Tencati (Copra Morpho Piacenza): “We have five games left, all very important, three of them will be against top teams while the other two are more or less of our level. Despite this observation, even if Macerata was severely beaten against Modena, it will be an extremely tough encounter but we have to try to get something out of it. As for the game against Castellana Grotte, we’re disappointed with the way it ended, we’re gutted especially for not having played right till the end. We faded in the last two sets, which proved crucial. We managed to get points out of Latina and Modena, hopefully, we’ll be able to do so again in this coming game”.
Igor Omrcen (Lube Banca Marche Macerata): “Last Wednesday’s defeat against Modena means we really have to win this one in Piacenza and not only for our position in the table. It will be important to immediately get back on our feet. We’ll not only need the three points but a convincing performance too, useful to give us some confidence ahead of a week that will be dedicated to the Challenge Cup. Piacenza has had ups and downs this season, but the quality of its players is undeniable. Some are capable of making the difference in any game and against anyone, so we need maximum focus”.
Sisley Treviso – Andreoli Latina
PAST ENCOUNTERS: 23 (20-3 Cuneo)
Samuele Papi (Sisley Treviso): “This won’t be an easy game, but we have to try to take the three points. The end of the regular season, with two home games with Trento and Castellana Grotte and two away against Roma and Macerata, will be very difficult. Besides, we have the Cev Cup to play too, and we really want to do well. So if we still want to clinch third place, or at least maintain fourth place, we need maximum points against Latina. It won’t be easy, but if we play at our best we can make it”.
Emanuel Kohut (Andreoli Latina): “Another very tough one for us, but we have to try to get points. This is an excellent team and they’re playing great volleyball right now. We’ll only have a chance if we manage to contain Fei at the net and in dig, he was unbelievable when we met earlier this season”.
Bre Banca Lannutti Cuneo – BCC-NEP Castellana Grotte
PAST ENCOUNTERS: 1 (Cuneo)
Alberto Giuliani (coach Bre Banca Lannutti Cuneo): “Castellana Grotte has been playing well in recent games, we’ll do as we’re used to, playing one game at a time and focusing on the match at hands. You could see my team was not hundred percent in Wednesday’s Champions League game. Obviously we have to keep in mind Thursday’s game against Dinamo because we really want to reach the Champions League Final Four. But that does not take anything away from the game against Castellana”.
Fosco Cicola (BCC-NEP Castellana Grotte): “At this point, we have to focus on our side of the court and what we do, no matter who we’re facing. We perfectly know what are Cuneo’s qualities, they are second in the league, we know it’s a tough one. But we’re thinking one game at a time and this is helping us a lot. So we’ll just try our best and if the others are stronger then we’ll just congratulate them and shake their hands”.
Casa Modena – M. Roma Volley
PAST ENCOUNTERS: 5 (3-2 Roma)
Daniele Bagnoli (Coach Casa Modena): “The win in Macerata was possible because we played good volleyball. This is what makes me happy and the boys have to realise this. What I’m trying to make the team understand is that they are capable of playing at a certain level: We have seen what we could do in Macerata, that there are things we know how to do. Let’s build on that: that level should become our normal standard. The game against Roma will be very difficult: they have a good team, they have a deep squad, many tactical alternatives according to the foreigners and Italians that are playing. It’s not easy to prepare the game because they have great quality on the serve and in attack. At this time of the season, every game is a final and we have to aim high”.
Andrea Giani (Coach M. Roma Volley): “The last time I played against Modena was in November 1995. I can’t hide it will be a great emotion to get back in that gym, where I have won just about everything. This is without a doubt an important but difficult game, they are playing good volleyball and the clear victory over Macerata just shows how true that is. No disrespect to Prandi, who is a quality coach, Bagnoli’s touch is starting to show. We know that Modena is stronger than us, but we’ll have to keep playing as well as we’ve done against Trento and Cuneo”.
Itas Diatec Trentino – Marmi Lanza Verona
PAST ENCOUNTERS: 16 (13-3 Trento)
Emanuele Birarelli (Itas Diatec Trentino): “We will face another useful test against Verona, they are in good form, they have proved they could easily make it into the playoffs with recent positive results. In order to beat a team like that, we’ll have to do a good job of containing their two most dangerous spikers: Lasko and Cala, even If I always think it is better to take care of oneself and see what we can do on court before looking at the quality of the opponent”.
Renaud Herpe (Marmi Lanza Verona): “We have to play in Trento with the attitude that characterised us in the second half of championship, keeping our target in mind. It will be important to improve compared to the last two outings, we’ll need to take more points. If Trento plays at its usual standard, it will be complicated: unfortunately we have not made the most of our last home game against Monza to reach the playoffs. Today, we are in the top 8 but we have to make up for the lost points”.
Acqua Paradiso Monza Brianza – Yoga Forlì
PAST ENCOUNTERS: 3 (2-1 Monza)
Luca Monti (Acqua Paradiso Monza Brianza): “The recent experience with Castellana Grotte taught us that we should never lower our guards. And that’s why I am convinced we’ll face this game with the necessary determination, without underestimated our opponent. We want to put pressure on them right from the start. Forli is playing well, last Sunday they made it very hard for Vibo. Besides, they have a really dangerous pair of setter-outside hitter”.
Joel Bacci (Yoga Forlì): “I am thinking about the fans that have kept supporting us despite how difficult has been the season. They push us at home, they follow us on the road. This is above all for them that we have to keep trying to get points, to give them something to cheer about before the end of the regular season. We always train with intensity and will to improve and I think that, despite the difficult period, we can still grab some points. And we’ll go for it against Monza, no matter how tough it will be”.
Serie A2 Sustenium
Round 26
In the 26th round, Milan takes on Reggio Emilia on Saturday as both teams are in the playoffs zone. On Sunday, match up at the bottom between Perugia and Isernia, both are coming off good victories. Padova and Ravenna keep fighting for first place before hooking up on March 27: they will respectively host Loreto and Santa Croce (3rd). Derby between bottom of the league Club Italia and Sora, which will be without Darraidou who has gone to Argentina to undergo surgery on his surgery. Genova travels to Pineto, which is in need of points to snatch a place in the playouts. Gela meets Segrate as both needs to bounce back. Finally Mantova entertains Città di Castello.
Round 26
Saturday 5 March at 8.30pm
CheBanca! Milano – Edilesse Conad Reggio Emilia
(Carrara-Valeriani)
Sunday 6 March at 11.30am
Sir Safety Perugia – Geotec Isernia Live on Sportitalia 2
(Zavater-Canessa)
Sunday 6 March at 6pm
Canadiens Mantova – Gherardi SVI Città Di Castello
(Bertolini-Pristerà)
Club Italia Aeronautica Militare Roma – Globo Banca Popolare del Frusinate Sora
(Zingaro-Turtù)
Pallavolo Pineto – Carige Genova
(Chimento-Gentile)
Phyto Performance Padova – Energy Resources Carilo Loreto
(Piersanti-Gasparro)
Marcegaglia CMC Ravenna – NGM Mobile Santa Croce
(Gelati-Prandi)
Eurogroup Gela – Volley Segrate 1978
(Pignataro-Oranelli)
League table
Phyto Performance Padova 67, Marcegaglia CMC Ravenna 62, NGM Mobile S.Croce 46, Gherardi SVI Città Di Castello 44, Carige Genova 43, Volley Segrate 1978 40, CheBanca! Milano 39, Globo Banca Pop. Frusinate Sora 39, Energy Resources Carilo Loreto 38, Edilesse Conad Reggio Emilia 37, Geotec Isernia 34, Eurogroup Gela 32, Sir Safety Perugia 27, Canadiens Mantova 26, Pallavolo Pineto 20, Club Italia A.M. Roma 6
