Eighth and final purchase of this market session for Delta Group Porto Viro, which signs one of the best central defenders of the last A3 season, the Paduan Riccardo Ballan, born in 1997, 197 centimeters tall, coming from Tim Montaggi Marcianise.
Ballan began his volleyball career at Valsugana Volley, with which he “climbed” three categories in three years: in 2015/2016 he played in Serie D, in 2016/2017 in C, in 2017/2018 in B. From 2018 to 2022 he remained in Serie B but plays in another Paduan club, Pallavolo Massanzago. In 2022/23 he played his first A3 championship with Bologna, qualifying for the playoffs. The last experience in Marcianise ended with relegation to Serie B but for Ballan it was still a fruitful year: he finished as the fifth best center back in the category in terms of overall performance and sixth among the best blockers with 63 blocks under his belt. Numbers that convinced Delta Group to take him upstairs, to Serie A2 Credem Banca.
“I am very happy with this call to A2 – comments Ballan – I must say that I have been following Delta with interest for a few years and therefore it was really difficult to say no. It is one of the most important companies in the Veneto and I am sure that we will work in a serious, pleasant atmosphere and with high-quality staff. I take this opportunity to thank the club for the trust placed in me and for offering me this opportunity.”
Last year Ballan had a great season in A3, making what seems like the definitive leap in quality: “I have always worked with commitment, giving my all in every training session and listening to the technical advice given to me – says the new Nerofuchsia signing – This desire to continue to improve allowed me to perform excellently last championship, certainly playing in a higher category and with top coaches will help me grow even more technically and mentally. I hope I can make an important contribution to the team. In Serie A2 there will be greater ball speed, a fundamental step will be to get used to a new vision of the game.”
The Delta Group roster is now officially complete. What is Ballan’s opinion of the team that has been set up? “It’s certainly a well-built and competitive roster, I think it won’t be difficult to find a good understanding between us players – he replies – My goal is to grow and achieve personal satisfaction, as well as that of the team. I am sure that by working hard we can achieve excellent results.”
PALLEGGIATORI: Filippo Santambrogio (nuovo), Pietro Ghirardi (nuovo)
SCHIACCIATORI: Pedro Henrique Ferreira Silva (confermato), Charalampos Andreopoulos (nuovo), Lorenzo Magliano (nuovo), Gabriele Chiloiro (confermato)
OPPOSTI: Edwin Arguelles Sanchez (nuovo), Matteo Bellia (nuovo)
CENTRALI: Matteo Sperandio (confermato), Mattia Eccher (confermato), Andrea Innocenzi (nuovo), Riccardo Ballan (nuovo)
LIBERI: Davide Morgese (confermato), Egon Lamprecht (confermato)
