Serie A1
Round 9
We are two rounds from the Christmas break and the halfway point of the season. Macerata versus Cuneo is the highlight game of the weekend, while Modena versus Verona is another intriguing one.
Serie A1 Round 9
Saturday December 14 at 6.30pm
Tonno Callipo Calabria Vibo Valentia – Altotevere Città di Castello Live on RAI Sport 1
Live streaming on www.raisport.rai.it
(Gnani-Cappello)
Sunday December 15 at 6pm
Sir Safety Perugia – Andreoli Latina
(Satanassi-Bartolini)
Diatec Trentino – Copra Elior Piacenza
(Cesare-Sobrero)
Exprivia Molfetta – CMC Ravenna
(Braico-Zucca)
Casa Modena – Calzedonia Verona Live on Sportube.tv
(La Micela-Boris)
Sunday December 15 at 6.30pm
Cucine Lube Banca Marche Macerata – Bre Lannutti Cuneo Live on RAI Sport 1
Live streaming on www.raisport.rai.it
(Puecher-Pasquali)
League table
Cucine Lube Banca Marche Macerata 23, Copra Elior Piacenza 20, Diatec Trentino 17, Sir Safety Perugia 15, Calzedonia Verona 12, Casa Modena 12, Bre Lannutti Cuneo 10, Tonno Callipo Calabria Vibo Valentia 9, Exprivia Molfetta 9, Altotevere Città di Castello 8, CMC Ravenna 5, Andreoli Latina 4
Tonno Callipo Calabria Vibo Valentia – Altotevere Città di Castello
Second consecutive home game for Vibo following the tie-break victory over the Italian champions last week, which send them in 8th place, the last qualifying position for the Italian Cup. Città di Castello is 10th but just one point behind. In the last round, it was defeated by Cuneo.
PAST ENCOUNTERS: None
Gianlorenzo Blengini (coach Tonno Callipo Calabria Vibo Valentia): “Saturday’s game will be much more complicated mentally than the last one, especially after the victory over Trento. This game will test our maturity. This will be a tough game because Città di Castello has been a kind of giant killer so far. They play fairly well both home and away, and the tie-break against Trento proves it. Two spikers to watch out for: Van Walle and the German Fromm who’s averaging a lot of point. We know we’ll have to face this game with the same intensity we played at against Trento last Saturday”.
Ludovico Dolfo (Altotevere Città di Castello): “I expect it to be a difficult game, this is the key game for us to make it into the Italian cup. We know they will have got a big boost out of the win over Trento, they will also play at home, they will be the favorites. We’ll try to win it all the same, playing our game with will to fight on every play”.
Cucine Lube Banca Marche Macerata – Bre Lannutti Cuneo
Macerata has already secured its ticket into the Italian Cup and into the next phase of the Champions League. And now they will face Cuneo in the 73rd meeting between the two clubs, a classic in the league. Cuneo is far from playing at the level of Macerata this year. They have been knocked out of the Cev Cup this week, and will try to add to the recent victories to improve their seventh position to make sure they get into the cup.
PAST ENCOUNTERS: 72 (38-34 Cuneo)
Dragan Stankovic (Cucine Lube Banca Marche Macerata): “This is an exciting and difficult game. We want to keep our winning streak going, but we know we’ll face a team who needs to take points for the cup. There are three games to go before the break, we’ll need to play with the usual focus and will to win”.
Roberto Piazza (coach Bre Lannutti Cuneo): “We’re going to Macerata to take on the league leaders. They have not given anything away to anyone, and they’ll certainly not start against us. We are aware they haven’t got many weaknesses, which is why it will be even more important to work on our own game, rather than focus on the opponent. Such a game will be fundamental to immediately do things the way they should have gone this week”.
Sir Safety Perugia – Andreoli Latina
Three victories with maximum points over Molfetta, Vibo and Ravenna rocketed Perugia to a very exciting position in the table, fourth. Latina have had ups and downs: unbeatable in Europe (win in Challenge cup 16th of finals this week) but struggling in the league. But given the tight table, they still have hopes to qualify for the cup quarters.
PAST ENCOUNTERS: 2 (1 win each).
Adriano Paolucci (Sir Safety Perugia): “Tough game on Sunday. Latina is coming off a good win in Europe against Antwerp, 3-0. They are finding their rhythm, with Starovic settling more and more in their schemes. Their league position does not reflect the real worth of the players they have in the roster. The European win will have given them a boost and they’ll come here ready to fight. This is a very important game for us, we have our chance at home. We’ll need another good performance and I am convinced that if we play at the level we’ve been of late, we’ll get a positive result”.
Candido Grande (Sport director Andreoli Latina): “We did a good job in the Challenge Cup on Wednesday, especially in the clutch time, we showed character. On Sunday, we’ll face an important game, we’ll need to show our worth in the league too. We’ll be up against a well-organised team with excellent players like Goran, who still makes the difference. We’re going there to get a result because we desperately need points”.
Diatec Trentino – Copra Elior Piacenza
One of the most awaited games of the season. Last year, it produced five breathtaking games in a playoff series and now they’re ready to give more emotional moments to their respective fans. Both perfect in Europe, Trentino is three points behind following its tie-break loss against Vibo.
PAST ENCOUNTERS: 40 (25-15 Trento).
Giacomo Sintini (Diatec Trentino): “Playing in this Trento-Piacenza after the league final played last May 12 will surely be special and emotional: after that game, this fixture will never be like the others. That was much more than a game: an unforgettable day that entered in my story and in the story of Trento, Trentino Volley and its fans. When I’ll meet Piacenza and the many players that are still there, and I’ll see myself on the tricolor court, I’m sure I’ll feel some very strong emotions”.
Luciano De Cecco (Copra Elior Piacenza): “This will be a very difficult game. Hopefully, we’ll keep doing well and play the kind of volley we have until now. Personally, I’ll be glad to meet up with my friend Solé. Hopefully, in Trento, just like in the Champions yesterday, we’ll make it a great show”.
Exprivia Molfetta – CMC Ravenna
Both Molfetta and Ravenna still have a chance to make it into the cup. Molfetta is in a better position, 9th, but level on points with Vibo, 8th. This will be the first of two consecutive home games. The first is against Ravenna, four points away from the cup zone despite five defeats in a row.
PAST ENCOUNTERS: None
Bruno Zanuto (Exprivia Molfetta): “This is a key moment of the season. We have two games we can win ahead, both at home, before the tough trip to Vibo Valentia. We have worked on all area well, even if there are always things to improve on, like pressure situations which are inevitable during games and which change according to the team you face. It’s very tight in the table right now, but I am focused 100% on the Ravenna game, because we first need to play well against them, and then think about the next game. If we take one step at a time, the results will come. The Italian cup as Christmas present? Difficult to say, but the qualification does represent one of our targets”.
Marco Bonitta (coach CMC Ravenna): “We’ll meet a team that has one of the best records at home, they have a good roster and a big crowd pushing them, they’re loud but fair play. After the game against Perugia, I expect Ravenna to step up a level, and go to Molfetta to try to get the first away win of the season”.
Casa Modena – Calzedonia Verona
Intriguing match-up between two teams tied with 12 points and trying to consolidate their league position to qualify for the Italian cup. Modena took four points out of back-to-back road games against Macerata and Latina, while Verona lost its last two against Piacenza and Trento.
PAST ENCOUNTERS: 18 (15-3 Modena).
Angelo Lorenzetti (coach Casa Modena): “Our league position is important and therefore the points at stake on Sunday for the Italian cup. However, there is one more step before that: our level of play. In our last home game, we lost against Trento, we want to give our fans a better performance on Sunday. Verona has gained a lot of confidence out of good road wins, they have a good serve and effective blocking ability”.
Andrea Giani (coach Casa Modena): “We’re ready for a good game in an arena that is considered for many reason the temple of Italian volleyball. Besides, I played there for years, this is an extraordinary place for our volleyball. Modena is a strong team, in good shape, we’ll have to give it a real fight, we’ll need to be at our best and make the most of our strengths. This is a tricky game with the Italian cup qualification at stake, both teams will give their all”.
Serie A2
Round 9
Monza rested
The halfway point of the season is coming fast, and that will reveal the four names of the teams that will make it into the A2 Cup final four in Monza in January 11-12.
Globo Banca Popolare del Frusinate Sora – Caffè Aiello Corigliano. Second home game in a row for Sora, who will try to make it two wins to cut the deficit on the two top teams, Padova and Monza. Corigliano and its new coach Totire snatched a point against the leader last week and will try to get the breakthrough as they just added Australian outside hitter Williams.
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