Round trip: as if it were a cup round. In reality, it’s simple pre-season. Last Saturday, at the Spes Arena, the first seasonal act of the Veneto derby between Belluno Volley and Volley Team Club San Donà took place. And tomorrow, Wednesday 27th (4.30 pm), the remake with reversed fields is scheduled: in fact, it will be played at the Pala Barbazza, where the rhinos will also return at the beginning of November for the fourth day of the championship.
Last weekend’s unprecedented draw gave conflicting indications, with the Belluno team still in the lead, having won the first and third sets, but joined by Giannotti and his teammates: «San Donà is a top-level team – says Gonzalo Martinez -. We showed off good ideas, but we lacked a bit in the break phase and we weren’t particularly brilliant in serving or blocking.” “Gonzo”, it is now known, has decided to take off his role as a libero and take on those of a spiker. And he immediately made himself appreciated for some notable strikes in attack: «On the surface – he smiles – it seems that he has been covering this role for a long time, while it is the first month in which I have acted as a gang. And I am perfectly aware of the fact that there is still a lot of work to do.”
DREAM – Ignacio raises, Gonzalo crushes: not in the living room at home, with the foam ball like they did as children, but on a Serie A3 parquet, defending the same colours. Until a few months ago, the mere thought would have bordered on utopia: «As far as I’m concerned, it’s a dream that has come true. And it’s nice not only for me and Nacho, but for my whole family. There’s a really good feeling with my brother.”
MARGINS FOR IMPROVEMENT – Belluno Volley wants to take a further step forward along the path towards the championship: «I find myself in a close-knit group, we got along very well from the start – concludes Martinez -. Even if, lately, we have suffered from the lack of Reyes. In any case, we are a strong and young collective, with lots of room for improvement. Let’s continue like this, with the aim of always sacrificing ourselves in the gym.”
