It’s getting hot in the SuperLega as we make our way into the 19th round. It all seems pretty clear at the top with Civitanova top but three teams can dream of a come-back.
In the meantime, the action will start on Friday night with Ravenna versus Molfetta. Three valuable points and ninth place at stake.
Out of the cup quarters in three sets, defeated by the super power of Civitanova, Vibo proved it could aim for good middle-high positions in the league. Kantor’s men are still 8th after their road loss against Perugia but have a five-point cushion on Ravenna. They will take on Modena, winners of the first meeting 3-0. But a lot has changed since then. Vibo found its identity and the Italian champs have lost ground at the top. Still, they had an excellent performance over Sora in the Cup (3-0) and won their last home match in the league over Latina 3-2.
Perugia is having a superb run in the league as they recently moved up to third and standing just one point behind Trento. While the last victim of coach Bernardi’s guidance was Vibo, they were stunned in the cup at home by Piacenza. They will try to bounce back in the big match against Trento, who will defend its second place and try to stay close to the winter champ, Civitanova. Trentino smoothly qualified for the cup final four with a win over Monza.
Out of the cup in the 8th of finals, Padova could prepare with ample time for this coming match against the league leaders of Civitanova. Still, they have a mountain to climb against an opponent they beat only six times in 40 attemps. Just like every year, Civitanova targets all competitions, and so far so good with the leadership in the league and the qualification in the cup semis at the expense of Vibo.
In spite of being knocked out, Sora did pretty well in its cup quarter-final against Modena. Bagnoli’s men were close to get back in the game in the second set (32-34). Still bottom of the table after their recent loss in Monza, they will try to make the breakthrough against Verona, a team they had stunned in the cup 8th of finals. But Grbic’s arrival at the helm as brought new life into the team.
Latina had a positive week after the near-breakthroug against Modena, having come-back from 2 down, only to surrender in the tie-break. They will play host to Monza, who’s excited about the arrival of new signing Leandro Vissotto. The Brazilian outside hitter arrived in Italy yesterday. Monza won 3-1 over Sora in spite of being 1 down in the last round.
Last from bottom with a point advantage on Sora and one behind Padova, Milan has not won since the first return game. In the last round, they were brushed aside by the leaders 3-0. They will take on Piacenza, who bounced back from a league loss in Trento with a superb cup victory in Perugia. That was Perugia’s first loss since Bernadi took over the coaching job.
SuperLega UnipolSai round 19
Friday 13 at 8.30pm
Bunge Ravenna – Exprivia Molfetta Live on RAI Sport 1
Diretta streaming su www.raisport.rai.it
Domenica 15 gennaio 2017, ore 16.30
Tonno Callipo Calabria Vibo Valentia – Azimut Modena Diretta Lega Volley Channel
Domenica 15 gennaio 2017, ore 18.00
Sir Safety Conad Perugia – Diatec Trentino Diretta RAI Sport 1
Diretta streaming su www.raisport.rai.it
Kioene Padova – Cucine Lube Civitanova Live on Lega Volley Channel
Biosì Indexa Sora – Calzedonia Verona Live on Lega Volley Channel
Top Volley Latina – Gi Group Monza Live on Lega Volley Channel
Revivre Milano – LPR Piacenza Live on Lega Volley Channel
League table
Cucine Lube Civitanova 47, Diatec Trentino 44, Sir Safety Conad Perugia 43, Azimut Modena 40, Calzedonia Verona 34, Gi Group Monza 28, LPR Piacenza 27, Tonno Callipo Calabria Vibo Valentia 24, Bunge Ravenna 19, Exprivia Molfetta 18, Top Volley Latina 15, Kioene Padova 14, Revivre Milano 13, Biosì Indexa Sora 12
Tonno Callipo Calabria Vibo Valentia – Azimut Modena
PAST ENCOUNTERS: 19 (14-5 Modena)
Giuseppe Defina (Team Manager Tonno Callipo Calabria Vibo Valentia): “Modena will come in to get a result. They played on Wednesday and at home, so they had time to prepare properly for this game, whereas we just got back home this afternoon. We’ll only be able to train tomorrow. They are very agressive on the serve and they have a great block-dig department. This will be a privilege for us to be able to measure up against such a top club. We’ll try to make it difficult for them and get more satisfaction out of a season that has been excellent so far ».
Andrea Sartoretti (GM Azimut Modena): “We’re coming off a crucial win over Sora and ‘took’ our place in Bologna’s Final Four. We could not afford to get it wrong and the boys did a great job. We have proved many times we could play at a high level, we just need concistsency against every opponent, be that against a top team or one of the others. We’re facing a tough game this Sunday, the league is pretty tight. Even when a team might be given as weaker, they are all competitive and capable of playing excellent volleyball, and Vibo is one of them. They proved a real pain for many teams so we have to be very carefull and be aware that if we don’t play our best volley it can become very tricky ».
Sir Safety Conad Perugia – Diatec Trentino
PAST ENCOUNTERS: 14 (11-3 Trento)
Andrea Bari (Sir Safety Conad Perugia): “We have done extremely well in the league in the past two months. It’s obvious that the cup loss really hurt, it could not be otherwise but now we have to keep working hard and focus on this game against Trento. I think it’s better that such a big game comes right away because we want to prove we’re still there and that the loss against Piacenza was just an accident, though it was a really disappointing one. We’ll need to give everything on Sunday, on every point, we must give 110%. Trento is certainly not a new team, they are tough and they’ll come in Perugia to get the victory. And we have to stop them ! ».
Filippo Lanza (Diatec Trentino): “The match in Perugia will be totally different that the one we just played and won against Monza in the Italian Cup. Playing in the PalaEvangelisti is never easy, but we if play with the same mentality with which we played in recent games we’ll have our chance to clinch valuable points out of this ».
Kioene Padova – Cucine Lube Civitanova
PAST ENCOUNTERS: 40 (34-6 Civitanova)
Valerio Baldovin (coach Kioene Padova): “Sunday’s game will be extremely difficult because we’ll be up against a team that is better than us, physically too. Still, this will be a good opportunity to try to turn things around given that results have not come our way of late ».
Nicola Pesaresi (Cucine Lube Civitanova): “We’re back in the league after our qualification into the Cup final four. This will be a difficult game, though to be honest they’re all difficult in this SuperLega. We’re going to Padova, knowing we have what it takes to take three crucial points to stay at the top of the table ».
Biosì Indexa Sora – Calzedonia Verona
PAST ENCOUNTERS: 2 (1 each)
Svetoslav Gotsev (Biosì Indexa Sora): “In the cup 8th of finals, unfortunately I was not there but the guys have done a great job. Each game has a different story though and Verona is in good shape now, they’ll come to get a result, showing all the qualities seen in recent outings since they had their new coach. They’ll want to take revenge on the defeat we inflicted them in the cup. I expect a tight encounter, I’m sure we’ll be agressive, aware of our potential, we’ll take some risks and at the same time we will try not to make too many mistakes ».
Aidan Zingel (Calzedonia Verona): “We are finding our rhythm again, the one we had at the start of the season. Unfortunately, there’s been a bad patch in between, but we’re back on the right track just before the final push before the playoffs. I’m feeling good mentally and physically, the whole team is positive and full of energy. I feel better on court, we’re more confident and united. Doing the simple things is what helps us to get results. Unfortunately against Sora in the cup, it did not go well but it’s in the past and now we have to focus only on our future. We’ll try to do as well as possible, why not even higher than the fifth place before the playoffs ».
Top Volley Latina – Gi Group Monza
PAST ENCOUNTERS: 5 (3-2 Latina)
Daniele Bagnoli (Top Volley Latina): “We’re starting to play well, even if we don’t have everybody hundred percent fit. We have never been able to work with our full roster. When we’ll be able to do so, I’ll be able to intensify the rhythm in training. We have to focus on ourselves, increase our level of play and start to do this in training. The game against Monza will be an important test, they are sixth and almost in the playoffs. But I think we have our chances. They are physically fine too. We’ll need a top performance. When we managed to play well as a team, which did not happen many times, we showed all our worth ».
Pieter Verhees (Gi Group Monza): “After the game against Trento, we’re eager to get back to playing our best volleyball. Latina is in good shape, they’ve started to take important points with their new coach and they made it tough even to the top teams. This is a long trip, there will be a heated atmosphere, I know this arena very well. We’ll need much more consistency and determination to get a result. The secret ? Consistency on the serve and intensity in attack and dig : Characteristics that were unfortunately lacking in the game against Trento ».
PAST ENCOUNTERS: 6 (All Piacenza)
Luca Monti (Revivre Milano): “This games comes at a time in which we have to show we want to exist. We have lost three straight on a 3-0 score, we can’t seem to be able to play. I would like to see a reaction of the team even if it won’t be easy against an extremely motivated Piacenza team after its breakthrough in the cup over Perugia. I really expect a change of attitude, then we obviously know the quality of the opposition. We had a good training week, a bit heavy because we increased our level of work and I asked more from certain players. We’ll see if they can maintain this level in game situations ».
Marco Camperi (Ass.coach LPR Piacenza): “We need to stay extremely focused. After an important victory like the one we obtained in Perugia, it’s easy to lower your guard. We cannot let it happen, we have to limit our mistakes as much as we can because this road game won’t be easy by any means. Milan is not where it should be in the league table. They will be competitive, we’ll therefore need to play with determination and aim to get big points ».
Three regular season games to go in this first phase of the Serie A2. In the white group, there is Potenza Picena, sixth with Visentin close to a thousand point in Serie A, who made things harder for their playoffs credentials after back to back losses against Siena and Lagonegro. They will need a win over Ortona. The latter had won the first meeting at the tie-break after a superb come-back. Last Sunday, they won 3-0 at home against Aversa.
In the big match of the group, BBC Castellana Grotte will try to take revenge on Siena, which represents their only loss in 15 games. Siena is tied on points with the Apulia team but behind due to two less wins.
Fifth, Santa Croce will defend a three-point advantage on Potenza Picena as it plays host to Tuscania. The latter is coming off a 3-2 win over Siena and had won the first meeting over the Tuscan side.
Aversa is eager not to lose any more points, especially at home. In their first match, they had had the better of Alessano, but the latter is last from bottom and can’t afford to lose if it wants to get back up.
Club Italia will play its game against Lagonegro on Wednesday 18. Lagonegro has the sixth place in sight, currently occupied by Potenza Picena.
In the blue group, Reggio Emilia moved up to third after a 3-1 win over Civita Castellana and will now try to add to their tally because Bergamo and Brescia are just one point behind. Besides, they play host to Mondovì, second with a three-point advantage after a comfortable win in Castellana Grotte.
Brescia plays host to a direct rival this weekend. Beaten at home by Spoleto, they still have their destiny in their own hand as they face Civita Castellana, just one point behind in sixth place. Beaten home in the last round by Reggio Emilia, Civita asked the game to be replayed for a video check call not given. They’re waiting for the judgement call.
Top of the group with a four-point advantage on Mondovì after the big match won in Brescia, Spoleto will face another team from the Lombardy region, Cantù. The latter lost home in a derby against Bergamo but is still not totally out of the playoff race. They need to get going now though.
Bergamo made the breakthrough with three-point taken in the Lombardy derby. Coach Graziosi will try to bring his men closer to the playoffs zone as he faces a team from his home region, Grottazzolina. The latter had won the first meeting. Ortenzi’s men are not bottom anymore thanks to a 3-1 win in Montecchio Maggiore.
Postponed to Thursday 19 the game between two teams that will fight to stay up. It’s Montecchio Maggiore, newly promoted, last beaten by Grottazzolina, and Materdomini Castellana Grotte who’s determined to beat Montecchio just like in the first clash.
Serie A2 UnipolSai round 16 – WHITE GROUP
Sunday 15 January at 4pm
GoldenPlast Potenza Picena – Sieco Service Ortona Live on Lega Volley Channel
6pm
BCC Castellana Grotte – Emma Villas Siena Live on Lega Volley Channel
7.30pm
Kemas Lamipel Santa Croce – Maury’s Italiana Assicurazioni Tuscania Live on Lega Volley Channel
Sigma Aversa – Aurispa Alessano Live on Lega Volley Channel
Wednesday 18 January at 8.30pm
Club Italia Crai Roma – Basi Grafiche Geosat Lagonegro Live on Lega Volley Channel
White group standings
BCC Castellana Grotte 36, Emma Villas Siena 36, Maury’s Italiana Assicurazioni Tuscania 31, Sigma Aversa 25, Kemas Lamipel Santa Croce 22, GoldenPlast Potenza Picena 19, Basi Grafiche Geosat Lagonegro 18, Sieco Service Ortona 17, Aurispa Alessano 15, Club Italia Crai Roma 3
1 game in hand: Kemas Lamipel Santa Croce, Aurispa Alessano
Serie A2 UnipolSai round 16 – BLUE GROUP
Sunday 15 January at 12am
Conad Reggio Emilia – VBC Mondovì Live on Lega Volley Channel
Sunday 15 January at 6pm
Centrale del Latte McDonald’s Brescia – Ceramica Globo Civita Castellana Live on Lega Volley Channel
Monini Spoleto – Pool Libertas Cantù Live on Lega Volley Channel
Caloni Agnelli Bergamo – Videx Grottazzolina Live on Lega Volley Channel
Thursday 19 January at 8.30pm
Sol Lucernari Montecchio Maggiore – Materdominivolley.it Castellana Grotte Live on Lega Volley Channel
Blue group standings
Monini Spoleto 34, VBC Mondovì 30, Conad Reggio Emilia 27, Caloni Agnelli Bergamo 26, Centrale del Latte McDonald’s Brescia 26, Ceramica Globo Civita Castellana 25, Pool Libertas Cantù 19, Sol Lucernari Montecchio Maggiore 14, Videx Grottazzolina 12, Materdominivolley.it Castellana Grotte 12
