Super cup presentation
A press conference took place this morning to present the Super Cup 2011, to take place precisely in Cagliari on November 1st (6pm in the PalaRockfeller arena). The two teams playing for the trophy will be Trentino, the league winner, and Cuneo, the cup winner. The event is organised by the Italian Volleyball League in collaboration with the Sardegna FIPAV Regional Committee and the ASD Augusta Assicurazioni Cagliari Volley.
“One of the reasons that encouraged us to host the Super Cup is to give the opportunity to the young kids from Sardegna to see the greatest club event volleyball has to offer” said the President of the local Organizational Committee Vincenzo Ammendola.
Then the CEO of the Italian Volleyball League, Massimo Righi, took over “It’s not been difficult to hand the organization of the event to Cagliari because there is an excellent understanding with President Ammendola and Eliseo Secci, who we have known for years. Besides, Sardegna is the third region in Italy in terms of Fipav volleyball members per inhabitants”.
Serie A1 Sustenium
Fifth round. Leaders Modena travels to Padova. Big game between Macerata and Cuneo.
Round 5 will begin with Ravenna against Verona on Saturday. Ravenna is still looking for its first win of the season, while Verona won its last encounter against Padova. On Sunday, the leaders, Modena, travel to PAdova while the big game of the weekend has to be Macerata versus Cuneo. Both can boast a perfect start to the season, remaining unbeaten and both have begun their Champions League campaign this week with a win. Follow the preview underneath:
Round 5 Serie A1 Sustenium
Saturday October 22 at 5.30pm
CMC Ravenna – Marmi Lanza Verona Live on Rai Sport 1
Live streaming on http://www.raisport.rai.it/dl/raisport/multimedia/diretta.html
(Bartolini-Pessolano)
Sunday October 23 at 5.30pm
Fidia Padova – Casa Modena Live on Rai Sport 1
Live streaming on http://www.raisport.rai.it/dl/raisport/multimedia/diretta.html
(Cipolla-Rapisarda)
Sunday October 23 at 6pm
Lube Banca Marche Macerata – Bre Banca Lannutti Cuneo
(La Micela-Castagna)
Itas Diatec Trentino – Energy Resources San Giustino
(Gnani-Tanasi)
M. Roma Volley – Sisley Belluno Diretta Sportube.tv
(Pasquali-Santi)
Acqua Paradiso Monza Brianza – Andreoli Latina
(Saltalippi-Sobrero)
Copra Elior Piacenza – Tonno Callipo Vibo Valentia
(Cesare-Pol)
League table
Casa Modena 12, Lube Banca Marche Macerata 11, Bre Banca Lannutti Cuneo 10, Itas Diatec Trentino 9, Andreoli Latina 8, Acqua Paradiso Monza Brianza 6, Tonno Callipo Vibo Valentia 5, Energy Resources San Giustino 5, Sisley Belluno 5, Marmi Lanza Verona 4, Fidia Padova 4, M. Roma Volley 3, CMC Ravenna 1, Copra Elior Piacenza 1
CMC Ravenna – Marmi Lanza Verona
PAST ENCOUNTERS: None
Antonio Babini (coach CMC Ravenna): “We will be live on television for the first time in a long while and we will try to do well. Verona is in good form, but we have been training with the full squad for the second week so we’ll have made progress compared to the game against Monza. Last Sunday, we have been inconsistent in some area, hopefully we will have improved on those”.
Aidan Zingel (Marmi Lanza Verona): “Like in the games against Belluno and Padova, the team will have to show character and try to be as consistent as possible. We work hard everyday in the gym, the players know each other better now and on Saturday we want to make further progress. We have won twice at the tie-break: we wouldn’t mind playing just three sets this time, to take all three points”.
Fidia Padova – Casa Modena
PAST ENCOUNTERS: 74
Andrea Garghella (Fidia Padova): “Modena is top of the league, they are extremely strong: We are definitely no favourites but it doesn’t mean the result can be taken for granted. We will give it our best shot. What we are missing? We need more consistency right now, but it’s normal because the group is partially new and it is looking for its identity, like many other teams in the A1. No drama: let’s remember we are only in the fifth round”.
Daniele Bagnoli (coach Casa Modena): “We are happy to be top but to be honest we only think about training and try to get better every day. We are training with good intensity and focus. I know Padova and its arena very well: there will be a great atmosphere and we will face a dangerous team. They have quality in the block-dig area as well as in the serve. This will be a tough game: we will need to be aggressive from the serve and as flowing as possible in our game. Obviously, we will have to be careful and focused from the start. A difficult game but we are preparing well”.
Lube Banca Marche Macerata – Bre Banca Lannutti Cuneo
PAST ENCOUNTERS: 61
Jean-Francois Exiga (Lube Banca Marche Macerata): “This game against Cuneo is another very tricky one, like the ones just played against Trento and Novosibirsk (in Europe). We have won all our games so far and our goal can only be to try to extend this positive streak. You can’t argue with the potential Cuneo has: this is one of the strongest teams in the league, and when you play against teams of this level, the points at stake are worth double. We want to stay high in the table as much as possible”.
Wout Wijsmans (Bre Banca Lannutti Cuneo): “This will be a very particular game. Very particular for me, as I’ve worn the Macerata shirt for a couple of years, and particular for all of us because on the other side of the net, there will be a coach, who I greatly respect, and a former teammate, with whom I have worked well and who I am glad to meet again. I know this will be a great feeling. I think Macerata is, together with Modena, the most in-form team of the league. We will need a top class performance to beat them in their own house”.
Itas Diatec Trentino – Energy Resources San Giustino
PAST ENCOUNTERS: 26
Lukasz Zygadlo (Itas Diatec Trentino): “The victory over Teruel is behind us. Now we have to focus on San Giustino, an opponent that has what it takes to make it tougher for us than the Spaniards did. We will be tired but I am convinced that, at the same time, the team is like a train that gain speed and becomes difficult to stop in any circumstances. This will be a good game, which we can win”.
Massimo Caponeri (ass. coach Energy Resources San Giustino): “Trentino is used to play every three days. I really don’t think their commitment in Europe can have any influence on their performances. On the contrary, given that Teruel is a good team, it’s probable that this was a useful test for Trento. As for us, we have been training well and forgotten about Sunday’s game in Belluno. I have seen the boys different, more positive compared to last week. I think we will see a different San Giustino team in Trento”.
M. Roma Volley – Sisley Belluno
PAST ENCOUNTERS: 12
Alessandro Paparoni (M. Roma Volley): “The win in Vibo Valentia gave us a Psychological boost and now we are not bottom any more. Now we will face a few teams that we can beat, starting this Sunday against Belluno. The latter are more vulnerable than in the past but it does not mean it will be an easy game, not at all. Belluno has more points than us in the league, we have to be very careful. Their strength are the attack with Fei and Horstink. If we can limit them, we could give a victory to our fans and look to the coming games against San Giustino and Latina with interest”.
Robert Horstink (Sisley Belluno): “We have gained confidence thanks to the win over San Giustino, confidence in the group and in ourselves. I cannot say if we eventually got going, the result on court will tell us. The match ahead is definitely not easy. Roma is one of the strongest teams of the league and, in my opinion, they have not shown all their potential so far. They play home and their goal is the same as ours: play catch up in the league table. I have to say that the spirit of the team remained the same, be that after the two tie-break defeats or after Sunday’s 3-0 win. We have kept training well knowing that the results would come sooner or later. Now that we got our first win under our belt, we’ll try to add to it. It will undeniably be difficult against some former teammates who know our characteristics, they can guess some of our schemes. Dante Boninfante was our setter just a few months ago, it will be a great challenge to play against him, and our former teammates. We’ll need to be extremely intelligent tactically”.
Acqua Paradiso Monza Brianza – Andreoli Latina
PAST ENCOUNTERS: 18
Emenuele Zanini (coach Acqua Paradiso Monza Brianza): “A very tough game ahead, Latina started very well and they have a well-balanced and deep team. Besides, they have a setter I know well, Sottile, who is excellent at understanding immediately the characteristics of his teammates and therefore find the most adapted pass for each one of them. The true revelation of this league is a 35-year old that has been away from the top level for a while: Alain Rocca. He has been outstanding with top notch percentages in attack, serve and reception. The two outside hitters, Jarosz and Troy, alternate. They have very different characteristics which allow them to vary, avoid to be predictable and have fresh legs on court. We can’t prepare the game only against 7 players, because they have excellent substitutes. For example, Cester arrived in the fourth round, and there is also a player like Rivera, with excellent technique and great experience. This will be a very interesting game”.
Dario Simoni (ass coach Andreoli Latina): “This is not the first time that I play against my former team. It’s part of the past, I don’t have any particular feeling. Monza has made some changes this summer, the club made an effort to improve after last year’s fourth place. This will be a road game like the one in Cuneo for us, we are not the favourites but we’ll go there to win”.
Copra Elior Piacenza – Tonno Callipo Vibo Valentia
PAST ENCOUNTERS: 15
Angelo Lorenzetti (coach Copra Elior Piacenza): “Vibo Valentia got off to a good start this season, they played well so far, doing the right things and remaining focused. We have to play with character on Sunday and give everything we have. We have improved in the blocking, it is not our main weapon, but we got much better in training. Vibo Valentia plays a fast pace game which is not easy to handle, they play with technique and their wing spiker manage to turn difficult situations into points”.
Manuel Coscione (Tonno Callipo Vibo Valentia): “I think Piacenza has great fighting spirit, despite the fact they are still a work in progress in certain aspects given that the setter joined the group at the very last moment. But they have experienced players like Papi, Nikolov and Zlatanov, who represent the focal point of the group. I think right now it’s better to look and focus on ourselves, though, to improve our game”.
Serie A2 Sustenium
Round 5, things are getting more and more exciting.
It keeps getting tighter and tighter in the A2. The top eleven teams are crushed in three little points, which allow for continuous changes in the table. Top of the league with 9 points, Loreto will be in the capital this weekend to face Club Italia, which suffered its first loss last weekend which ended a brilliant run. Cantù, which earned its first point in history at this level last week, take on Castellana Grotte, who played four consecutive tie-breaks (two won) and made it a winning debut for new coach Vincenzo Di Pinto. With the addition of Alex Moreno, Reggio Emilia wants a fresh start and begin to go up the table: first obstacle will be Atripalda, which has not won any points since the opening 3-2 victory over Isernia, the injury of outside hitter De Paula did not help. Marcello Bruno could miss the game too. Moretti’s Milan team entertains a galvanised ISernia team following their first win of the season over Sora. The latter lost Gemmi with an ankle injury, not ideal to host Perugia. Segrate, which is tied on point with Loreto, travels to Santa Croce, which is just one point behind. Nine points in the table as well for Città di Castello which faces a second consecutive home game: after Castellana Grotte, here comes Genova, which is 12th following its home loss against Milan. 7th against 11th but only separated by a point, Molfetta meets Corigliano.
Round 5 Serie A2 Sustenium
Saturday october 22 at 8.30pm
Club Italia Roma – Energy Resources Carilo Loreto
(Gasparro-Cassarino)
Sunday October 23 at 4pm
Cassa Rurale Cantù – BCC-NEP Castellana Grotte Live on Sportitalia 2
(Prati-Genna)
Sunday October 23 at 6pm
Edilesse Conad Reggio Emilia – Sidigas Atripalda
(Puletti-Cappelletti)
CheBanca! Milano – Cicchetti Isernia
(Cappello-Falivene)
Pallavolo Molfetta – Caffè Aiello Corigliano
(Turtù-Oranelli)
NGM Mobile S.Croce – Volley Segrate 1978
(Pignataro-Orpianesi)
Globo Banca Popolare del Frusinate Sora – Sir Safety Perugia
(Carrara Monica-Zavater)
Gherardi SVI Città Di Castello – Carige Genova
(Simbari-Andreoni)
League table
Energy Resources Carilo Loreto 9, Volley Segrate 1978 9, Gherardi SVI Città Di Castello 9, NGM Mobile S.Croce 8, Club Italia Roma 8, CheBanca! Milano 8, Pallavolo Molfetta 7, Globo Banca Pop. Frusinate Sora 7, Sir Safety Perugia 7, BCC-NEP Castellana Grotte 6, Caffè Aiello Corigliano 6, Carige Genova 5, Cicchetti Isernia 4, Sidigas Atripalda 2, Cassa Rurale Cantù 1, Edilesse Conad Reggio Emilia 0
