A classic of the category is staged on Wednesday evening at the PalaEstra in Siena, but with a completely different specific weight. If in the Regular Season Emma Villas and Consoli equalized the scores, with a tie-break each won by subverting the home court factor, Game 1 of the Play-offs already has the flavor of an inside-out match, because the entire promotion series, starting from the Quarterfinals, only two victories are expected to access the next level. The memory obviously goes back to 2021, when Brescia, having secured qualification with the last useful pass, eliminated Siena in four matches in front of their home fans, in an epic day that took them to their first historic final. The protagonists of that time are still partly in the blue and white shirt: there are Candeli and captain Tiberti, Franzoni and Ghirardi, the technicians Zambonardi and Iervolino, but the memory can above all serve to keep in mind that, today as then, Consoli knows how to dare and to to do so he must play with humility, concentration and continuity, using all the weapons at his disposal, which are quite a few.
It is the team that has played the most sets (112 with 13 tie-breaks), has the highest number of service winners in absolute terms (157) and is the third team in terms of average aces per set, behind Prata and Grottazzolina. The Toucans are second in terms of attacking effectiveness (number of perfect attacks/total attacks), behind Grotta and tied with Cuneo.
The numbers show that this championship has a very high quality level of play and they say that Brescia is a tough nut to crack, that knows how to work hard and that never gives up. Despite the not 100% physical fitness of all his players, coach Zambonardi knows that each of them will bring every available fiber to the field and put it at the service of the group.
On the other side of the net there is Emma Villas who closed the regular season in third place with the same points as Cuneo (second) and is among the very few teams to have beaten Grottazzolina, the undisputed leader of the season. He has an extra wall weapon in his game in the center and has several insidious and powerful hitters.
Under the expert guidance of coach Graziosi, the director Nevot will be ready for the challenge on the home field, combined with the strong opposite Krauchuk, the central defenders Trillini and Copelli, the best scorer of the season in the role. The high ball hitters are Pierotti, Tallone and Milan. The libero is Bonami.
