Serie A1 Sustenium
Round 17
There will be two games on Saturday among which an extremely mouth watering Macerata versus Trentino. On Sunday there’s the derby between Piacenza and Modena. Preview to follow:
Round 17, Serie A1 Sustenium
Saturday January 28 at 8pm
Lube Banca Marche Macerata – Itas Diatec Trentino Live on Sportube.tv
(Gnani-Castagna)
Saturday January 28 at 8.30pm
Energy Resources San Giustino – Sisley Belluno Live on Rai Sport 1
(Cesare-La Micela)
Sunday January 29 at 6pm
Acqua Paradiso Monza Brianza – CMC Ravenna
(Balboni-Sobrero)
Andreoli Latina – Bre Banca Lannutti Cuneo
(Caltabiano-Tanasi)
M. Roma Volley – Tonno Callipo Vibo Valentia
(Cipolla-Padoan)
Fidia Padova – Marmi Lanza Verona
(Santi-Piana)
Sunday January 29 at 8.30pm
Copra Elior Piacenza – Casa Modena Live on Rai Sport 2
(Cappello-Satanassi)
League table
Itas Diatec Trentino 41, Lube Banca Marche Macerata 38, Bre Banca Lannutti Cuneo 36, Casa Modena 32, Acqua Paradiso Monza Brianza 27, Sisley Belluno 25, Marmi Lanza Verona 22, Tonno Callipo Vibo Valentia 20, M. Roma Volley 20, Andreoli Latina 19, Copra Elior Piacenza 17, Energy Resources San Giustino 15, Fidia Padova 15, CMC Ravenna 9
Energy Resources San Giustino – Sisley Belluno
PAST ENCOUNTERS: 26 (21-5 Belluno)
Andrea Giovi (Energy Resources San Giustino): “We’re playing home and we have to make this advantage count. The win over Ravenna gave us some confidence and now we have to get some points. This will be an extremely difficult encounter against a great side”.
Roberto Piazza (coach Sisley Belluno): “After a week travelling, we’re about to play another tricky away game. Given its league position, San Giustino will be angry for points. We’ve been on the road a lot in recent days, from Vibo to Cuneo and now the third consecutive away game in San Giustino. It’s tiring to travel that much, to play and make all the efforts required, but we’ll need to hang in there and fight, hoping this will be enough to get a chance. I consider this to be an important game, and all the league games are”.
Copra Elior Piacenza – Casa Modena
PAST ENCOUNTERS: 23 (13-10 Modena)
Massimiliano Giaccardi (ass.coach Copra Elior Piacenza): “Last Sunday’s win over Macerata gave us some nice breathing air, especially in the league table because there isn’t much difference from the boys, they had kept working hard and with consistency. Last Sunday’s win is only the result of our hard work. Now, despite the usual problems at this time of the year, we are training well, at a good rhythm. Hopefully we’ll show the same attitude against Modena on Sunday. Modena has excellent players among whom there are two stars: Anderson and Dennis”.
Daniele Bagnoli (coach Casa Modena): “The victory in the Italian Cup quarter-final was crucial for us. We really needed it and hopefully this will enable us to settle down a bit and help us to get better. Having said that, we have to focus on the future and Piacenza: clearly a much different opponent compared to the team faced in our first meeting. Piacenza has improved a lot, they have great players and they’re playing very well, testimony their win over Macerata. We’ll need another great performance, with character and a good attitude. The third place? Nothing can be taken for granted, not even fourth place. We know for well that we have to work every day with maximum intensity, to be a real team and aim at reaching the best possible level of play”.
Lube Banca Marche Macerata – Itas Diatec Trentino
PAST ENCOUNTERS: 31 (18-13 Trento)
Cristian Savani (Lube Banca Marche Macerata): “We are happy to get to this game having gathered a good victory in the Cup against Roma. I think we had a good performance in that game. We’ll need more of the same to beat Trento, the serve will be crucial as usual, but also the attitude and determination. To win certain games, you have to fight throughout, stay focused from first to last minute. Saturday’s game will be extremely important for us, because we want to catch them at all cost”.
Matey Kaziyski (Itas Diatec Trentino): “An important game for many reasons, the first is our position in the league table, the two teams that have gathered most points so far are facing each other, but there are many more points up for grabs. It’s a real test, that will tell us where we stand compared to Trento which have been are main opponent so far. The first meeting between the two teams this season came in a particular situation. We were hardly back from Qatar, but it was still a very tight and hard-fought game. The scenario could be similar this time around. No need to say this will be a very difficult one for us, we know that for sure”.
Acqua Paradiso Monza Brianza – CMC Ravenna
PAST ENCOUNTERS: 1 (Monza)
Marco Fenoglio (ass.coach Acqua Paradiso Monza Brianza): “The game against Ravenna should be a little easier than the one played on Wednesday in Modena. They are currently bottom of the table but these might be the most risky games. If you lack concentration and a good attitude, you run the risk of making it complicated. This is definitely a good opportunity to get a victory before a very intense week. On Monday, we’ll be on the road for our Cev Cup quarter-final game. The most important thing is to get a result and then focus on the European cup, which represents our second target of the season”.
Antonio Babini (coach CMC Ravenna): “We’ll be up against a team on the up, testimony the recent result they obtained. Thanks to the arrival of Conte, Monza can aspire to great things, which they might not have dreamed of at the start of the season. But we’ll do everything possible to make it hard for them”.
Andreoli Latina – Bre Banca Lannutti Cuneo
PAST ENCOUNTERS:19 (15-4 Cuneo)
Josè Manuel Rivera (Andreoli Latina): “It’s a tough game but we can win it. Hopefully Cuneo will not be too angry after the last two games in which they have not been at their best. It’s important for us to focus on our main strengths. We have to improve on the last game against Verona, it’s crucial to win now”.
Wout Wijsmans (Bre Banca Lannutti Cuneo): “Playing in Latina is always complicated, this is always a tough place to go to. We’ve not been at our best lately, we’ll need to give everything we have. We need a win to get back on track immediately before Wednesday’s Champions League game. This is a first step to make for us following the sack of Gulinelli”.
M. Roma Volley – Tonno Callipo Vibo Valentia
PAST ENCOUNTERS: 5 (4-1 Roma)
Gabriele Maruotti (M. Roma Volley): “This will be a very difficult game and I don’t say it for the sake of it. This is a balanced team, with a couple of top quality players. They might have Coscione back which would mean a good improvement on their part. They have not had good results of late, they’ll come here eager to do well but we’ll be ready too”.
Manuel Coscione (Tonno Callipo Vibo Valentia): “This is a crucial game for us against an opponent tied with us on point in the league table. We have put behind us the last games, we can now go to Rome with renewed spirit, to fight with everything we’ve got. It has to be said that we met a team in great form in the cup, but we’re ready to forget about this last performance and focus exclusively on getting points by playing with fighting spirit and determination”.
Fidia Padova – Marmi Lanza Verona
PAST ENCOUNTERS: 11 (7-4 Verona)
Marco Zingaro (Fidia Padova): “A very important game we’ll have to face with composure. Gonzalez and Simeonov are still doubtful but we should not worry about that. In Trento we proved this team could get points against anyone. So we’ll use our strengths against Verona to get away from the danger zone and I am sure we’ll have a good game and will be capable of getting a result. Obviously, it won’t be easy but it never happens anyway to have an easy game in this league”.
Bruno Bagnoli (coach Marmi Lanza Verona): “The trip to Padova represents another opportunity to show the progress made and get more points, although we have to keep in mind how strong and motivated will be our opponent. I am happy to go back to Padova, I have great friends in the club and had good relationships with the fans and media as well”.
Serie A2 Sustenium
Round 21
Club Italia Roma – Crazy Diamond Segrate. Club Italia slipped to 13th in the league and are looking to turn things around. Not easy against Segrate still in the chase for top spot, they’re four points behind.
Globo Banca Popolare del Frusinate Sora – Energy Resources Carilo Loreto. Beaten in the last round by the leaders Perugia, coach Porro will make his home debut against Loreto, standing just one point behind after back to back three-point victories.
NGM Mobile Santa Croce – Edilesse Conad Reggio Emilia. Santa Croce still has to get a three-point win in this second half of season. Four tie-breaks in five games so far (2w-2l). They want the three points at all cost against Reggio Emilia, which run was stopped by Atripalda in the last round.
Gherardi SVI Città di Castello – Sidigas Atripalda. Città di Castello’s progress towards the top was hindered last week by Genova. They want to bounce back against Atripalda, which is on the up.
Carige Genova – BCC-NEP Castellana Grotte. Up to seventh, Genova is going for a fourth consecutive win against Castellana Grotte, which want to stay close to the leaders.
Cassa Rurale Cantù – Sir Safety Perugia. The league leaders want to stay where they are as they take on bottom of the league Cantù, beaten in the last three rounds.
CheBanca! Milano – Pallavolo Molfetta. Four points separate the two teams. It’s sixth against fourth as there are three crucial points at stake to stay in the leading pack.
Cicchetti Isernia – Caffè Aiello Corigliano. Isernia will line up new signing Ali Alp Çaiyr, who arrived this week. He will make his full debut abroad. Corigliano failed to get a point in the last three games.
Round 21, Serie A2 Sustenium
Saturday January 28 at 8.30pm
Club Italia Roma – Crazy Diamond Segrate
(Guerzoni-Orpianesi)
Sunday january 29 at 4pm
Globo Banca Popolare del Frusinate Sora – Energy Resources Carilo Loreto Live on Sportitalia 2
(Zanussi-Trevisan)
Sunday January 29 at 6pm
NGM Mobile S.Croce – Edilesse Conad Reggio Emilia
(Chimento-Piubelli)
Gherardi SVI Città Di Castello – Sidigas Atripalda
(Gini-Perri)
Carige Genova – BCC-NEP Castellana Grotte
(Montanari-Puletti)
Cassa Rurale Cantù – Sir Safety Perugia
(Venturi-Perdisci)
CheBanca! Milano – Pallavolo Molfetta
(Ravallese-Piluso)
Cicchetti Isernia – Caffè Aiello Corigliano
(Pignataro-Parlato)
League table
Sir Safety Perugia 46, BCC-NEP Castellana Grotte 45, Crazy Diamond Segrate 42, Pallavolo Molfetta 40, Gherardi SVI Città Di Castello 39, CheBanca! Milano 36, Carige Genova 35, Globo Banca Pop. Frusinate Sora 34, Energy Resources Carilo Loreto 33, NGM Mobile S.Croce 29, Caffè Aiello Corigliano 27, Cicchetti Isernia 21, Club Italia Roma 20, Sidigas Atripalda 12, Edilesse Conad Reggio Emilia 11, Cassa Rurale Cantù 10
