Serie A TV schedule
Serie A1
Round 1: Saturday 23 October at 4pm
Copra Morpho Piacenza – Acqua Paradiso Monza Brianza LIVE on RAI Sport 1
Round 1: Sunday 24 October at 6pm
Bre Banca Lannutti Cuneo – RPA-LuigiBacchi.it San Giustino LIVE on RAI Sport 1
Round 2: Saturday 30 October at 4pm
Tonno Callipo Vibo Valentia – M. Roma Volley LIVE on RAI Sport 1
Round 2: Sunday 31 October at 6pm
Casa Modena – Sisley Treviso LIVE on RAI Sport 1
Round 3: Saturday 6 November at 4pm
M. Roma Volley – Yoga Forlì LIVE on RAI Sport 1
Round 3: Sunday 7 November at 6pm
Sisley Treviso – Bre Banca Lannutti Cuneo LIVE on RAI Sport 1
Serie A2
Round 2: Sunday 24 October at 11.30am
Marcegaglia CMC Ravenna – Energy Resources Carilo Loreto LIVE on Sportitalia 2
Round 3: Sunday 31 October at 11.30am
CheBanca! Milano – Sir Safety Perugia LIVE on Sportitalia 2
Round 4: Sunday 7 November at 11.30am
Pallavolo Padova – Carige Genova LIVE on Sportitalia 2
Serie A1
The A1 is off on Saturday and Sunday
The Serie A1 is ready to go. The opener of this 66th season is Piacenza versus Monza, Saturday at 4pm, live on Rai Sport 1.
Round 1
Saturday 23 October at 4pm
Copra Morpho Piacenza – Acqua Paradiso Monza Brianza Live on Rai Sport 1
(Cesare-La Micela)
Sunday 24 October at 6pm
Bre Banca Lannutti Cuneo – RPA-LuigiBacchi.it San Giustino Live on Rai Sport 1
(Sobrero-Braico)
Sisley Treviso – Yoga Forlì
(Pasquali-Zucca)
Itas Diatec Trentino – BCC-NEP Castellana Grotte
(Padoan-Puecher)
Lube Banca Marche Macerata – Tonno Callipo Vibo Valentia
(Ippoliti-Perri)
Andreoli Latina – Casa Modena
(Cipolla-Pessolano)
M. Roma Volley – Marmi Lanza Verona
Copra Morpho Piacenza – Acqua Paradiso Monza Brianza
PAST ENCOUNTERS: 2 (Piacenza won both)
Massimiliano Giaccardi (ass. coach Copra Morpho Piacenza): “Two months of work have gone past and here we are, I am a bit nervous for the league debut. I am new on the team, all the others are new, Lorenzetti is doing his best to put together a team that can make it hard for anyone we’ll meet week in week out. It won’t be easy by any means on Saturday, this is a team that can play good volleyball: Monza strengthened its squad, adding quality players to a core of guys which had already done a very good job last season. It will be a tough game in which the will and enthusiasm of a brand new team will be crucial in the difficult moments. But I’m expecting our fans to support us both in the good and bad times”.
Luca Monti (coach Acqua Paradiso Monza Brianza): “My first team as head coach in the A1 is something I have been looking forward too for quite some time but the time has come to put aside the emotions and focus on the game. Piacenza has definitely got strong players, this is a team that changed a lot this summer, first of all the combination setter-outside hitter and then the middle blockers, and we’ll meet Semenzato again. The real soul of the team is the captain Zlatanov who is without any doubt the most experienced and charismatic guy of the team. They also have the libero of the Italian national team, Marra, who is surely the surprise of the season and a tough guy. What we’ll have to do is be aggressive with our serve to make it difficult for them in reception right from the start”.
Bre Banca Lannutti Cuneo – RPA-LuigiBacchi.it San Giustino
PAST ENCOUNTERS: 16 (11-5 Cuneo)
Alberto Giuliani (coach Bre Banca Lannutti Cuneo): “It will be a tough start, against a team that put a good group together and which is led by a coach, Emanuele Zanini, who knows how to get a good start from his guys. We’ll need maximum focus in order to make up for the ground lost during the preparation, we have only had all our players available from last Monday. In the Bubo Fontana tournament played in the last few days, I have seen the understanding between Grbic and our new middle blocker Volkov improve set by set so that’s a good sign. Hopefully, the same thing will happen in other situations, but only the court can help us get ready”.
Emanuele Zanini (coach RPA-LuigiBacchi.it San Giusino): “The game against Cuneo will be very special: we’ll start off against the Italian Champs, a tough game for different reasons. We’ll have to let ourselves loose without feeling the pressure of the event. We are a brand new club, we are building our game and need some time. But on Sunday, we will give 100%”.
Sisley Treviso – Yoga Forlì
PAST ENCOUNTERS: 10 (9-1 Treviso)
Roberto Piazza (coach Sisley Treviso): “Recently back from the World Championships, Fei and Pujol have had a different approach to the league: Pujol has been trying the schemes for ten days and has an understanding with the others. On the other hand, Fei has only been spiking and experimenting with Pujol in this last week. Neither of them have obviously reached 100%, but they will be on court on Sunday at the PalaVerde. This year, there won’t be a huge line between starters and back ups. The starting six could change regularly, and substitutions will also occur during games according to how it goes or according to the opponent. As far as the middle blockers are concerned, I haven’t got a clear view of the picture yet, while we’ll start with Horstink and Maruotti on the wings, but a turnover is not out of the question for the other spikers. This year, even more than last year, there will be a lot of tight games, starting this Sunday. Forli is coming over, they have excellent players, like Saitta who used to play for us, he will want to prove a point, and they have other talented guys like Falasca, former outside hitter for Spain, European Champions in 2007”.
Piero Molducci (coach Yoga Forlì): “This is a very tight championship. We start this off in Treviso. Not an easy start, I don’t ever make predictions so I don’t know how many points we will take home in the first few games. But I know that we are a better team than last season, because in some areas we brought in Forli some excellent players. We had the time needed to prepare ourselves, even though we had a few too many injuries, which is why some players are not at their best yet”.
Itas Diatec Trentino – BCC-NEP Castellana Grotte
PAST ENCOUNTERS: none
Raphael De Oliveira (Itas Diatec Trentino): “We want to feel the emotions we have experienced during last season. This is why we are looking forward to this debut game against Castellana Grotte on Sunday night in the PalaTrento, although without pressure. We have been through two months of tough and intense preparation and we have only been able to train all together in the last weeks. It’s not always been easy to work with a limited number of player. We will therefore see where we stand with this opening game, as we get into this new challenge with almost our full squad. We don’t quite know yet what are the qualities and weaknesses of our opponent, but I am sure Castellana will come to Trento with great will to start this new adventure in the A1 with a good result. That’s why we have to be focused right from the start”.
Radames Lattari (coach BCC-NEP Castellana Grotte): “Trento is one of the strongest teams in the world and we are honoured to start our season there even if we know we don’t have much of a chance to win it. It will also be positive because this will help us prepare the next games. Trento is a club and city that will always stay in my heart. I still have many great friends there. I will be eternally grateful to President Mosna and the fans for what they’ve done for me and my family, which will be with me on Sunday, they want to say hello to quite a few friends.
Lube Banca Marche Macerata – Tonno Callipo Vibo Valentia
PAST ENCOUNTERS: 14 (10-4 Macerata)
Marko Podrascanin (Lube Banca Marche Macerata): “We have not been together for a long time but in the two friendly games played in Perugia and Castellana Grotte, we have already played some positive volleyball, proving we had great potential. The first few games of the season are more and more unpredictable, but it would be nice to get off to a good start, for our confidence, and to keep our fans going, they have really come in numbers for the team presentation on Thursday. We don’t know much about Vibo, but more than the opponent, we’ll have to focus on our game”.
Vincenzo Mastrangelo (ass.coach Tonno Callipo Vibo Valentia): “We’re starting off on a tough court, in Macerata, which is one of the favourites for the title. They have almost exactly the same team than last season, and we are talking of top class players, in every fundamentals. Besides, they also have the extra motivation of the change of coach, with the new ideas that coach Berruto will surely have brought with him. Our strength could be the will of the foreign players that have never been in Italy to show what they can do, and the will to do well from the whole team”.
Andreoli Latina – Casa Modena
PAST ENCOUNTERS: 16 (10-6 Modena)
Giampaolo Medei (Coach Andreoli Latina): “This is a very important game because this is the first one in front of our fans. I expect the team to be aggressive right from the start and show the will to fight against any opponent. All the teams, like us, have the problems linked to a league debut but we have to make up for it with competitive spirit. We’ll be facing a great team and it’s important to do well in front of our supporters”.
Loris Manià (Casa Modena): “We are ready for this new challenge. We immediately begin with a nice and tough one away. Latina strengthened their squad, they brought quality players in, starting with young Serbian outside hitter Starovic: I played against him a few times with the national team, he’s strong, and like every left hander, he’s even more difficult to deal with. Then there is the other Serbian international Kovacevic, setter Sottile and the others. It’s a difficult game, in a league that seems to me to be even tighter and tougher than last year. We are doing fine in training, even if we might not have reached our best yet, especially the players that arrived recently. Anyway, it’s normal at this period of the year, we’re giving our all, staying on after the hour of training to try the schemes, and improve our understanding. To be honest, after seven weeks of training, I can’t wait to start. We want to win in Latina and to do so, we’ll all have to immediately put our feet on the pedal”.
M. Roma Volley – Marmi Lanza Verona
PAST ENCOUNTERS: 2 (Both for Roma)
Andrea Giani (Coach M. Roma Volley): “We’re finally there. We have been able to work with our full squad this week with Uriarte’s arrival. When you are at the beginning of the season, you have to count more on your competitive spirit than the technique. Still, one must not exaggerate otherwise, you run the risk of losing it. There will be more mistakes than usual and we’ll have to take advantage of the imperfections of our opponents. Besides, at this point of the season, we have to focus on ourselves more than the opposite team, we have to play on our strength and improve our weaknesses. The game against Verona will be tough, like all the other games in the A1 to be honest. Verona has everything needed in every department. They are physically strong and there is Meoni who, with his experience, knows how to get the best out of his teammates. We’ll have the help of our fans, it would be nice to see a packed gym”.
Lorenzo Smerilli (Marmi Lanza Verona): “We have finally worked all together this week and we have already seen great improvements. In Rome, we will meet young players with bright futures like Uriarte and Zaytsev, who will be assisted by experienced players such as Cisolla and Corsano. Still, we are convinced we have our chance, we are extremely motivated and we’ll do our best to get a result”.
Serie A2
Second round
The opening game of the A2 second round will be on Saturday at 8.30 between Perugia and Genova, two newcomers of this league looking for their second victory. On Sunday, Ravenna will meet Loreto at 11.30 am, as both teams won their opener at the tie-break. Milan travels to Città di Castello where a tight game is expected, just like the affair between Sora and Reggio Emilia, two teams hoping to bounce back from early disappointment. Home games for Padova and Santa Croce, looking to add three more points as they respectively face Isernia and Volley Segrate 1978. At PAdova’s PalaFabris gym, the game will start after a minute silence in memory of Alex Biasin (18) and his girlfriend Elena Pecin (19), who past away in a tragic car accident. Gela and Mantova, which grabbed a point away in the first round, will make their home debut against Pineto and Club Italia.
Round 2
Saturday 23 October at 8.30pm
Sir Safety Perugia – Carige Genova
(Cappello-Marchello)
Sunday 24 October at 11.30am
Marcegaglia CMC Ravenna – Energy Resources Carilo Loreto Live on Sportitalia 2
(Balboni-Cerquoni)
Sunday 24 October at 6pm
Gherardi SVI Città di Castello – CheBanca! Milano
(Pignataro-Falzoni)
Eurogroup Gela – Pallavolo Pineto
(Gentile-Piluso)
Globo Banca Popolare del Frusinate Sora – Edilesse Conad Reggio Emilia
(Ravallese-Piersanti)
NGM Mobile Santa Croce – Volley Segrate 1978
(Puletti-Piana)
Pallavolo Padova – Geotec Isernia
(Pozzato-Simbari)
Canadiens Mantova – Club Italia Aeronautica Militare Roma
(Zanussi-Trevisan)
Standing
Sir Safety Perugia, Marcegaglia CMC Ravenna, Carige Genova, Pallavolo Padova, NGM Mobile S.Croce 3, CheBanca! Milano, Gherardi SVI Città Di Castello, Geotec Isernia 2, Eurogroup Gela, Volley Segrate 1978, Canadiens Mantova 1, Energy Resources Carilo Loreto, Edilesse Conad Reggio Emilia, Globo Banca Popolare del Frusinate Sora, Club Italia A.M. Roma, Pallavolo Pineto 0
