A close game, which seemed compromised after an anonymous second and third partial and recaptured first in the fourth and then in the fifth, pulverizing the +6 guest under the pressure of PalaGrotta. The absences of Mandolini and Bonacic made the confrontation with an opponent of this caliber complicated but the performance offered on Sunday evening made Ortenzi’s boys leave the field with more than a regret for a few too many balls thrown to the winds in the key moments of the challenge: ” We knew it wasn’t going to be easy – said coach Ortenzi after the match -. We were facing a very physical team, among the best equipped in the tournament, and to play evenly we had to offer something more than our standard. In the second and third set we made many mistakes and then managed to reverse the course with a great job at the service that forced Castellana Grotte to play away from the net, a certainly relevant aspect given the quality of their reception line. We lacked a bit of clarity to manage a couple of attacks in the final of the fifth set but this is the A2 series, to bring home something more you have to do something more. ”
However encouraging signs that add up to the return of Dusan Bonacic after his efforts with the Chilean national team, which earned him a gold medal at the South American Games. With these assumptions, we go back to the gym to prepare for the difficult trip to Vibo Valentia: “We have certainly paid the price for a job done up to now in reduced ranks, which has made it difficult to manage a competition at such high levels – continued Ortenzi -. Bonacic’s return represents an important addition in this sense, a very difficult away match awaits us in a week so we will have to roll up our sleeves to face every race with the air of someone who always wants to bring home the best possible. “
