The Block Devils returned to Perugia after having seriously mortgaged their qualification for the Champions League Final Four with a 3-1 victory in the first leg of the Quarterfinals against Monza. A match that held many pitfalls for Angelo Lorenzetti’s boys, who found themselves facing an opponent who, after having secured salvation in the Championship at the last dive, was able to concentrate on this last appointment of the season with a clear mind and demonstrated it in the first set, with a sprint start in attack and blocking.
“In the first set we suffered a bit, even our attack didn’t work well, then we improved in the team performance and I’m very happy, but we must already think about the next one”. Yuki Ishikawa commented on the uphill start that the Block Devils encountered at the Opiquad Arena. But from that first fraction the character, strength and technical ability of the team emerged, leading Perugia’s comeback. Lorenzetti opts for some adjustments, such as the entry of the Japanese spiker, incisive in the economy of the match with his diagonals and his fast plays. «Every set counts, but we have to concentrate on every set and every ball, without thinking about the result. Our main difficulty was our change of ball and our attack that was sometimes blocked and every now and then we couldn’t cover. We still have to improve on these aspects!»
