Serie A1 Sustenium
Roundf 13: clutch games for the cup qualification
Leandro Vissotto MVP in December
Important last round of this first half of season in the A1. The first match-ups of 2012 will define which teams will qualify for the Italian Cup quarter finals and what will be the draw. Only one game will not involve the cup but it will be equally crucial: San Giustino versus Piacenza. San Giustino is last from bottom just one point away from Piacenza. While the top four places are already secured, the positions are still unknown. And two of them are clashing in the big game of the weekend, it’s third against fourth with Cuneo versus Modena.
Round 13 Serie A1 Sustenium
Thursday January 5 at 8.30pm
Bre Banca Lannutti Cuneo – Casa Modena Live on Rai Sport 1
Live streaming on http://www.raisport.rai.it/dl/raisport/multimedia/diretta.html
(Santi-Rapisarda)
Thursday January 5 at 8.30pm
Andreoli Latina – Itas Diatec Trentino
(Balboni-Pasquali)
Marmi Lanza Verona – Lube Banca Marche Macerata
(Vagni-Caltabiano)
Sisley Belluno – CMC Ravenna Live on Sportube.tv
(Zucca-Cipolla)
Tonno Callipo Vibo Valentia – Acqua Paradiso Monza Brianza
(Satanassi-Tanasi)
Energy Resources San Giustino – Copra Elior Piacenza
(Puecher-Bartolini)
M. Roma Volley – Fidia Padova
(Cerquoni-Saltalippi)
League table
Itas Diatec Trentino 32, Lube Banca Marche Macerata 30, Bre Banca Lannutti Cuneo 29, Casa Modena 26, Acqua Paradiso Monza Brianza 18, Tonno Callipo Vibo Valentia 17, M. Roma Volley 17, Sisley Belluno 16, Andreoli Latina 14, Marmi Lanza Verona 13, Copra Elior Piacenza 11, Fidia Padova 11, Energy Resources San Giustino 10, CMC Ravenna 8
Bre Banca Lannutti Cuneo – Casa Modena
PAST ENCOUNTERS: 63 (Modena 33-30).
Leandro Vissotto (Bre Banca Lannutti Cuneo): “We are playing well right now, we’re in good shape and the fact we’re able to train all together with consistency is paying off. We only need to keep winning to maintain this rhythm and a good position in the league table. Hopefully we’ll seal this first half of season with a win over Modena, it’s a tricky game but we’ll be at home. We have to play with the same attitude as we’ve done so far”.
Daniele Bagnoli (coach Casa Modena): “I am very curious and can’t wait to play this game. This is a key moment for us to understand how close or how far we stand from the three top teams: Important game for the league table and our confidence. Cuneo is a top class team, with experience, physically very strong, at times they play an unbelievable volleyball. In attack they hit the ball at dizzy heights and they do the same to block at the net. It’s obvious that we’ll have to be clever and patient. We’ll have to develop our game based on aggressiveness and tactical awareness in the block-dig area”.
Andreoli Latina – Itas Diatec Trentino
PAST ENCOUNTERS: 18 (12-6 Trento)
Josè Manuel Rivera (Andreoli Latina): “We just have to focus on trying to play good volleyball and get back to the level we had at the beginning of the season. The important thing is to play with conviction and think it is a game like any other which we can win. We’ll definitely get on court with a different attitude compared to the last two outings”.
Matey Kaziyski (Itas Diatec Trentino): “We’ll inaugurate 2012 with a road game in Latina, a complicated encounter because it’s always difficult to get focused again and find the rhythm after a few days off. We’ll have to be especially good mentally to start again brightly and contain Latina which we don’t know very well yet. We really want to start the new year with a victory, which would also make us the winter champs”.
Marmi Lanza Verona – Lube Banca Marche Macerata
PAST ENCOUNTERS: 14 (11-3 Macerata)
Bruno Bagnoli (coach Marmi Lanza Verona): “We had to deal with various physical problems this week, trying to get to this game against Macerata in good shape. This will be a very complicated game but therefore very exciting because we’ll have our superb fans behind us. Macerata is stronger than last year, they have improved serve and block. You just have to see Kovar and Pajenk on the bench to understand how strong they are. But this will be another opportunity to get points and face a top level team. We’ll be courageous and play all out to try to do as well as we did against Modena”.
Jean Francois Exiga (Lube Banca Marche Macerata): “Extremely exciting game, the will to win is high. This is the first of 2012 and the one that will define the cup match ups. This will also be the start of an intense month of January for us with important games in Italy and Europe. We have to start the new year where we had left off the last. We had excellent spells in the last game against Belluno, we managed to express all our potential, we want more of the same”.
Sisley Belluno – CMC Ravenna
PAST ENCOUNTERS: None
Roberto Piazza (coach Sisley Belluno): “Extremely tricky game despite what the league table says. It’s a dangerous team and they have proved it in recent games, in which they have also made it difficult for big teams. Since Moro has joined the team, they have found balance and cohesion. We have to step up, we really have to get going if we want to impose our game and qualify for the Italian Cup. We have to get on court, respect our opponents and focus to play well right from the start, without any mistakes and lapses”.
Antonio Babini (coach CMC Ravenna): “We are aware that the last game of this first half of season will be very difficult against Belluno. We are in good spirit following last week’s win. We’ll try our best to move up the table again”.
Tonno Callipo Vibo Valentia – Acqua Paradiso Monza Brianza
PAST ENCOUNTERS: 12 (7-5 Vibo Valentia)
Rocco Barone (Tonno Callipo Vibo Valentia): “Monza is a very strong team, this will be a difficult game in which there will be the fifth place at stake for both teams. We’re having a few physical problems, we lost our starting setter this week, but I’m certain we’ll do just fine with Simo Olli. We’ll be at home, where we have always played good volleyball and I am sure we’ll play a great game to end this first half of season on a high”.
Emanuele Zanini (coach Acqua Paradiso Monza Brianza): “Not only will this be an important game for the cup draw but also for the second half of season and the playoffs. A lot at stake therefore in this game. Besides, our approach to the game will be key given that Vibo will be without its setter. We should not think about this but focus on playing with consistency. This is what we lack the most right now: consistency instead of having only flashes of excellent volleyball.
Energy Resources San Giustino – Copra Elior Piacenza
PAST ENCOUNTERS: 31 (18-13 Piacenza)
Claudio Sciurpa (President Energy Resources San Giustino): “On Thursday, I will be in the kop to support the team. It’s almost useless to underline the importance of this game against Piacenza. Only a win will do. The team proved it found character and competitive spirit. In our PalaKemon arena, with the support of our fans, we can and have to win”.
Jiri Kral (Copra Elior Piacenza): “This is a crucial game and a difficult one on the road. San Giustino is just one step away from us, they will surely be in good shape, both mentally and physically after the victory over Padova. This last game of the first half of season will be crucial for the future of the team: our main target is to take as many points as possible”.
M. Roma Volley – Fidia Padova
PAST ENCOUNTERS: 6 (3 each)
Adriano Paolucci (M. Roma Volley): “We have studied Padova with videos and I have to say they are not bad at all for a team fighting to stay up. They have kept the main players that got them into the A1. Then they added quality players like Simeonov, who always plays at a very high level. In brief, we should not underestimate the opponent and do our best to win, without thinking about the results of the other courts. Besides, we have to redeem ourselves in front of our fans after the poor performance against Piacenza”.
Mattia Rosso (Fidia Padova): “Roma is coming off two consecutive defeats but that doesn’t mean this will be an easy game. Their team is highly competitive, we know how difficult it will be to get points in their arena. We’ll try our best as we always do, after which we’ll face Piacenza, a team on the up and with will to turn things around”.
Serie A2 Sustenium
Round 17
Holidays are over, it’s time to get back on court in the A2 with the second round of the return games. League leaders Segrate travels to Avellino, bottom of the league with only two victories, both against Isernia. The latter, fifth, play away against Santa Croce who won the first meeting 3-1. Second, Castellana Grotte plays host to Loreto, who won 3-2 earlier this season. It’s third against ninth as seven points separate Perugia and Genova. Perugia was defeated in the last round after four consecutive wins. Fourth in the table and unbeaten in the last five games, Milan heads south to face Corigliano, winners of this fixture in the first half of season. Fifth, Molfetta takes on the Club Italia of Marco Bonita, who failed to win since December 4. Cantù will have to face Sora without Captain Gerosa and with Diego Frigo doubtful. Last from bottom, Reggio Emilia hosts Città di Castello, which had lost six times in a row against Reggio before eventually beating them earlier this season.
Round 17 Serie A2 Sustenium
Thursday January 5 at 8.30pm
Sidigas Atripalda – Volley Segrate 1978
(Allegrini-Rolla)
Pallavolo Molfetta – Club Italia Roma
(Feriozzi-Turtù)
Edilesse Conad Reggio Emilia – Gherardi SVI Città Di Castello
(Parlato-Falivene)
Cassa Rurale Cantù – Globo Banca Popolare del Frusinate Sora
(Canessa-Florian)
Sir Safety Perugia – Carige Genova
(Cassarino-Chimento)
BCC-NEP Castellana Grotte – Energy Resources Carilo Loreto
(Bertoletti-Zavater)
Caffè Aiello Corigliano – CheBanca! Milano
(Venturi-Montanari)
NGM Mobile S.Croce – Cicchetti Isernia
(Cappelletti-Trevisan)
League table
Volley Segrate 1978 38, BCC-NEP Castellana Grotte 37, Sir Safety Perugia 34, CheBanca! Milano 31, Pallavolo Molfetta 31, Gherardi SVI Città Di Castello 30, Globo Banca Pop. Frusinate Sora 28, Energy Resources Carilo Loreto 27, Carige Genova 27, Caffè Aiello Corigliano 25, NGM Mobile S.Croce 24, Cicchetti Isernia 19, Club Italia Roma 17, Cassa Rurale Cantù 7, Edilesse Conad Reggio Emilia 5, Sidigas Atripalda 4
