Serie A1
Last round, first place at stake.
We’ve reached the last round of the regular season in the A1. Sunday’s games will define the playoffs match-ups and among those games there could hardly have been a more exciting encounter: Macerata will take on Piacenza, it’s first against second with the top spot at stake. Cuneo versus Modena for fifth place is quite a treat too.
Serie A1 round 22
Sunday March 23 at 5.30pm
Cucine Lube Banca Marche Macerata – Copra Elior Piacenza Live on RAI Sport 1
Live streaming on www.raisport.rai.it
(Saltalippi-Sobrero)
Sunday March 23 at 6pm
Bre Lannutti Cuneo – Casa Modena Live on Sportube.tv
(Bartolini-Pol)
Sir Safety Perugia – Altotevere Città di Castello
(Piersanti-Vagni)
Exprivia Molfetta – Tonno Callipo Calabria Vibo Valentia
(Sampaolo-Santi)
Calzedonia Verona – Diatec Trentino
(Gnani-Simbari)
Andreoli Latina – CMC Ravenna
(Cappello-Tanasi)
League table
Copra Elior Piacenza 54, Cucine Lube Banca Marche Macerata 53, Sir Safety Perugia 45, Diatec Trentino 36, Bre Lannutti Cuneo 32, Casa Modena 31, Altotevere Città di Castello 28, Calzedonia Verona 25, CMC Ravenna 23, Tonno Callipo Calabria Vibo Valentia 19, Exprivia Molfetta 17, Andreoli Latina 15
Cucine Lube Banca Marche Macerata – Copra Elior Piacenza
The ice on the cake of a superb season: Macerata entertains Piacenza in a second versus top contest. The winner takes it all: first place, court advantage in the playoffs, and a direct pass into next year’s Champions League. Macerata had been top of the table all season until last week and will be eager to take back what they’ll feel belong to them. Besides, this is already the fourth time the two sides meet as Piacenza had knocked Macerata out of the Champions League.
PAST ENCOUNTERS: 35 (18-17 Piacenza)
Marko Podrascanin (Cucine Lube Banca Marche Macerata): “We’re playing for first place, we had been top until the last round and we have the possibility to get right back up there. This will be a tough game, but the atmosphere will be great. We’ll need to be at our best to beat Piacenza, they have been doing brilliantly of late. We are confident, we want to take the three points to start the post season in the best possible way”.
Luca Monti (Coach Copra Elior Piacenza): “Our attention is mainly focused on the playoffs, not particularly on this game against Macerata. We have thought carefully with our athletic trainer, Alessandro Guazzaloca, about the best way to get in good shape in the playoffs, not about the way to be at our physical best for the last game of the regular season. But it’s obvious we cannot not think about Macerata, we cannot deny this will be an important game, even if not fundamental for us. Macerata will want to take revenge, they want the first place back, and they’ll want to prove that they can beat another big team, the cup winners, at home, where they’re undefeated. They’ll be keen to take the tension accumulated in recent times off their shoulders before the playoffs. As for us, we’ll play without pressure, we’ll just try to do our best without thinking too much of the final score”.
Bre Lannutti Cuneo – Casa Modena
Cuneo versus Modena is expected to be another thrilling encounter. It’s 5th versus 6th with Cuneo needed just one point to stay where they are. Modena will therefore need to come back from Cuneo with a win, something that has not occurred since April 2008. Modena must also be careful: if they were not to take any points and Città di Castello was to take three points, they’d slip to seventh.
PAST ENCOUNTERS: 70 (35 each)
Emanuel Kohut (Bre Lannutti Cuneo): “This will be an important game regarding the playoffs quarter-finals. We will give everything we have, pushed by our fans. Modena strengthened its squad with setter Bruninho and in attack with Ngapeth. They are strong, we’ll need our best volleyball”.
Angelo Lorenzetti (Coach Casa Modena): “Cuneo is right in front in the table. They played at a top level in the second half of regular season. This game represents an important opportunity to keep improving like we’ve done in recent outings before the playoffs. That’s going to be a good game”.
Sir Safety Perugia – Altotevere Città di Castello
The Umbria region will celebrate what has been a superb season with this derby. After getting into their first ever cup final, Perugia secured third place in the table thanks to a victory over Trentino. Vujevic and co will therefore play without pressure and try to take revenge on the first meeting lost. Newly promoted last summer, Città di Castello had a special season too. They are certain to finish at least sixth and could even clinch sixth place if they were to win and Modena was to lose without a point in Cuneo.
PAST ENCOUNTERS: 6 (4-2 Città di Castello)
Benedetto Rizzuto (Sport director Sir Safety Perugia): “We are extremely satisfied with our splendid regular season and this third place. It’s obvious that we want to do well at home too. We know it will be a tough game, against another team that has done brilliantly. I am sure this will be a great day of sport and celebration of volleyball in this region”.
Andrea Radici (coach Altotevere Città di Castello): “The derby is a prestigious game, an important one, but fortunately, it will be between two clubs very happy with what they’ve done so far. There will be no tension, just competition, I am sure both team will play all out, this should be a great game to watch”.
Exprivia Molfetta – Tonno Callipo Calabria Vibo Valentia
Out of the playoffs, Molfetta and Vibo will meet to define their final position for the Playoffs for 5th place. Molfetta will try to steal the 10th place occupied by Vibo, who has not won in five rounds. However, Blengini’s men needs just one point to keep their opponent of the day behind. Molfetta will also look for their first home win of this second part of season.
PAST ENCOUNTERS: 3 (All Vibo Valentia)
Andrea Cesarini (Exprivia Molfetta): “We have trained well, not thinking to avoid the last position but to steal the tenth place and have a better position for the Playoffs for fifth place, which will be like starting a new championship from scratch. And we want to do our best in it”.
Gianlorenzo Blengini (Coach Tonno Callipo Calabria Vibo Valentia): “It’s like a final for tenth place. We just need a point, but useless to work out if it’s better to finish tenth or eleventh. I am not the kind to work those type of things out. I just want the best possible result, the victory. We’re trying to be as ready as possible to have an excellent run in the Playoffs for fifth place. Going back to the last game against Cuneo, we were disappointed not to have won the second set, in which we were 23-21 ahead. We had two chances to go to 24 but we could not make it. When you are in such a situation, you have to be more clinical and courageous. In the playoffs, you could not afford to lose such an opportunity”.
Calzedonia Verona – Diatec Trentino
Because of a poor run of form in the second half of season, Verona’s chance to be in the top 8 has been threatened. To stay 8th and avoid to be out of the playoffs, they have to beat Trento, on any score. Otherwise, they will depend on Ravenna’s result. As for the Trento players, they have nothing to play for, they will finish fourth. Verona has just signed the Serbian Nikola Kovacevic.
PAST ENCOUNTERS: 22 (17-5 Trento)
Andrea Giani (Coach Calzedonia Verona): “A crucial game for us. This is our chance to get our pass in the playoffs. A game to win. We want to get back on track, especially at home. Kovacevic will be available, even if he’ll have had only one day of training with us. I’ll evaluate if he’s in shape or not. All the other players are working hard. We’re extremely motivated”.
Filippo Lanza (Diatec Trentino): “This is our last official game before the playoffs, which is why we must do our best because we won’t have any other opportunities to test ourselves, and we need to given all the changes made in recent weeks with the injuries and players missing. We really want to do well, even more myself as I am from the Verona area, many people will come to see me. Playing in the PalaOlimpia will never be like any other game for me”.
Andreoli Latina – CMC Ravenna
Last test before the Challenge Cup final for Latina. Besides, they also have a chance to get off the bottom of the table by going past Molfetta. Ravenna got a big boost from the breakthrough win over Macerata last week, which got them within striking distance of a playoff spot.
PAST ENCOUNTERS: 5 (4-1 Ravenna)
Peter Michalovic (Andreoli Latina): “We have the chance to finish the season with a good result, and have a good game before the Challenge Cup final. The first meeting had been difficult, it had finished at the tie-break. They will play to get in the playoffs, while we try to play at our best”.
Marco Bonitta (coach CMC Ravenna): “The superb win over Macerata allowed us to come in this last round with a chance to sneak into the playoffs. It will not depend on ourselves, a win in Latina would not guarantee our qualification. But we’ll try to do our part against a team that will want to maintain a high level of play before the Challenge Cup final. Only if we can get this tough victory will we look at Verona’s result”.
Serie A2
Playoffs 8th of finals game 2
Both Potenza and Castellana Grotte made the court advantage count. They are 1-0 up in their respective series and have a chance to seal the deal this Sunday.
Caffè Aiello Corigliano – B-Chem Potenza Picena. Just like in the league, Corigliano surrendered in straight sets in Potenza Picena. Totire’s boys might have be
