From 17 December 2023 to 17 March 2024, from Ravenna to Ravenna, from the penultimate of the first round to the penultimate of the season: three months later, it is not yet time to take stock for the Bcc Tecbus Castellana Grotte of coach Simone Cruciani, busy, with two days from the end of the national Serie A2 Credem Banca men’s volleyball championship, in a very close fight for survival.
Sunday 17 March 2024, early at 4pm, the last away match of the season, at Pala De Andrè, on the Consar Ravenna pitch, for the Apulians who will play the first of the two “finals” to win to achieve the objective of remaining in the series A2.
Pineto 26 points, Aversa 23, Castellana Grotte 22 (ahead in terms of overall victories, 8), Reggio Emilia 22 (behind with “only” 6 seasonal successes) and Ortona 17: these are the teams, by arithmetic, still involved in the struggle for salvation. Pineto has the easier round: they will be on stage in Cantù against a team already safe and out of the playoff zone. Aversa and Castellana Grotte, away to Brescia and Ravenna, will challenge two teams fighting to gain precious points for the best possible position in the post season. Reggio Emilia and Ortona, however, will meet in a direct clash that could also issue definitive sentences.
All against all, even remotely, with Bcc Tecbus still having the possibility of looking only at itself and its own results. This condition is also determined by the growth in performances and results highlighted in the second round. New Mater, in fact, closed the first round with 9 points. To date, in the descending part of the championship, 13 points have already been won, nine of these arriving in the last five days, i.e. in the period that gave Bcc Tecbus greater belief in being able to achieve the objective of salvation.
Ravenna, certainly, is a difficult field: Consar relaunched itself just last weekend by beating Reggio Emilia, after four consecutive defeats, all by tie break. The team coached by Bonitta is looking for points to defend (or improve) fourth place at the end of the regular season. Castellana Grotte, for its part, must believe in it to continue to maintain its position.
There are eleven precedents between Ravenna and Castellana, with four successes from Puglia and seven successes from Emilia. There have been five previous matches in Romagna with New Mater who have not won a victory since 2012 in Serie A1 and even since 2009 in Serie A2.
The match will be refereed by Stefano Nava from Monza and Antonio Mazzarà from Milan.
