Del Monte® Volley Land off to exciting start in Assago Mediolanum Forum
Del Monte® Volley Land
Off to an exciting start
The 11th edition of the Volley Land got off to an exciting start. The two-day event that hosts the Del Monte® Italian Cup SuperLega Final Four and the Serie A2 cup final is much more than those games. The doors of this giant sport centre, the Mediolanum Forum, opened at 9am on Saturday morning with inside a whole world to discover with infinite fixtures for the fans like the “Volley Gallery” or the “Fun Area”.
The Italian Volleyball League Serie A, in collaboration with the FIPAV Committee of the Lombardy region and Milan, brought to the fans the best the volleyball planet has to offer. Super stars of the game, Serie A clubs, supporters and sponsors have all been involved for the joy of the waves of fans enjoying the ride from one area to another, while the giants of Italian Volleyball were training amid rigorous silence in the temple of Milan’s volleyball.
LEARN AND PLAY WITH MAURIZIA
Accompanied by volleyball stars of the past and present, former setter Maurizia Cacciatori spent some time with the kids in the nine squash camps turned into mini volleyball courts. Among the many big names present, there was also setter Jack Sintini to teach the children the fundamentals of the game. Over 300 kids took part.
THE ANDREA LUCCHETTA SHOW
At the dawn of Volley Land, the first visitors stumbled across the personal show of “Crazy Lucky”. The former Italian international dispensed smiles to the fans, joked around with everyone, winked at the flashing cameras and gave big hugs in the federal hall.
VOLLEY LAND FACES
Adults and children were caught in the frame thanks to the maxiPolaroid to get a souvenir picture from their stay at the volleyball fair. Original shots with friends, tongues out, crazy celebrations with the animators for a special Instagram profile.
PADOVA GIANTS AT THE FORUM
Strolling around the Assago forum with regular stops at their stand and the many initiatives, there were also the Padova players, who are coming off a brilliant victory over Molfetta. There were many pictures for Enrico Lazzaretto, Marco Volpato and Sebastiano Milan.
FANS QUEUING AT THE ENTRANCE
The volleyball population gathered early at the entrance of the Forum full of expectations for the big games of the SuperLega semi-finals. They were also eager to discover all the various stands of the SuperLega and Serie A2 clubs. Among them, there were also non-profit associations like the Amref, the Giacomo Sintini Association and “We’ll never leave each other”, the association of Federica Lisi, extremely active in her mission to raise awareness among youngsters in the use of defibrillators in sport and in the schools. The stand dedicated to the Video Check was highly popular too. Success as well for the virtual game with true matches and the possibility to “capture” with a stop-motion picture the spikes of one’s friends.
THE MASCOTTE
The craziest volleyball mascots were on hand to catch the looks of the children. Captain Mister Banana was accompanied by the bear Tore and Johnny Potentino, who all enjoyed their time in games for baby fans like the “Volley Twister”.
WATCH OUT FOR THOSE TWO
The two lanky stars of Piacenza volley, Croatian spiker Marko Sedlacek and Serbian spiker Drazen Luburic were at the disposals of adults and children all morning.
360 degree Potenza video
A lot of fans visited the stand of Potenza Picena, Serie A2 champion last year. There were gadgets to win and a special virtual reality experience to live thanks to the 360° video. Coach Gianluca Graziosi, outside hitter Federico Moretti and four other players were there to greet the fans.
TOURAMENTS ALL DAY
What kind of volleyball fair would it be if there wasn’t the possibility to show off one’s potential on court? The young volleyball players took part in the tournaments organised at the Mediolanum Forum. In the first day, there were 45 Under 13 teams for a total of 230 players and 80 games, 22 Under 16 teams for 150 players and 60 games. A dozen of over 16 teams took part too, but we expect many more for the Sunday tournaments.
WOMEN VOLLEYBALL
While the countdown to the SuperLega semi-finals is on, there will also be a big game in women’s volleyball to follow in the Master Group Sport Volley Cup between Club Italia and Metalleghe Sanitars Montichiari.
DRIBBLING COURT SIDE
The special guest for the “Dribbling” show is Simona Rolandi, who will be sitting court side. The former volleyball star will give her insight on the popular sport program broadcasted on Rai 2. A striking view of the Volley Land was given between 1.25 and 2pm.
MODENA, BACK TO BACK FINALS
Del Monte® Italian Cup SuperLega Final Four
Modena’s come-back victory over Perugia
Del Monte® Italian Cup SuperLega. 1st semi-final
DHL Modena-Sir Safety Conad Perugia 3-1 (20-25, 25-16, 25-22, 25-22)
DHL MODENA – SIR SAFETY CONAD PERUGIA 3-1 (20-25, 25-16, 25-22, 25-22) – DHL MODENA: Mossa De Rezende 6, Petric 9, Rossini (L), Ngapeth 22, Nikic 1, Piano 3, Bossi, Saatkamp 18, Vettori 10, Sighinolfi. DNP Donadio, Soli, Casadei, Sartoretti. Coach. Lorenzetti.
SIR SAFETY CONAD PERUGIA: Buti 5, Fromm 12, De Cecco, Kaliberda 12, Giovi (L), Atanasijevic 20, Fanuli, Birarelli 9. DNP Holt, Dimitrov, Tzioumakas, Elia, Franceschini. Coach. Kovac.
Modena is the first team to qualify for the Del Monte® Italian Cup final thanks to a 3-1 win coming back from 1-0 down against Perugia. Lorenzetti’s men made it at the end of four splendid sets in which Perugia did absolutely everything possible to repeat the feat achieved two years ago in Bologna. Trailing one set to nil, Modena reacted with Ngapeth and Lucas showing the way in attack.
Angelo Lorenzetti (coach DHL Modena): “We knew it was going to be a tough game. We were up against a great team and we had a lot of pressure. The boys did a great job of getting back in it after a poor first set. The two teams gave their fan a really entertaining game. Now we have to focus on tomorrow’s encounter, a final at the highest level”.
Bruno Mossa De Rezende (DHL Modena): “We are extremely motivated and focused for tomorrow’s game. We had a bad first set against Perugia but it has to be said they have a great team, we all know that. Now we are in the final, we want to defend the title won last season and make our supporters go wild”.
Aleksandar Atanasijevic (Sir Safety Conad Perugia): “We have lost against a team that is playing better than us right now. They play some top quality dig and at times they make just terrific plays. We tried our best, we gave it a great fight, but that was not enough”.
Emanuele Birarelli (Sir Safety Conad Perugia): “We’re going out heads high, but we’re disappointed because the Italian Cup was one of our targets and we couldn’t make it. We made it hard for them, we managed to contain Vettori, who’s one of their central figures. Unfortunately, we couldn’t stop their other spikers. But I think we’re on the right track, we have to work to execute better the key things that will make us win against the top teams”.
TRENTINO ROARS TO FINAL
Del Monte® Italian Cup SuperLega Final Four
Trento holds off courageous Civitanova
Del Monte® Italian Cup SuperLega 2nd semi-final
Cucine Lube Banca Marche Civitanova-Diatec Trentino 2-3 (19-25, 25-17, 22-25, 27-25, 11-15)
CUCINE LUBE BANCA MARCHE CIVITANOVA – DIATEC TRENTINO 2-3 (19-25, 25-17, 22-25, 27-25, 11-15) – CUCINE LUBE BANCA MARCHE CIVITANOVA: Fei 1, Parodi 6, Juantorena 10, Stankovic 18, Priddy 3, Christenson 5, Cester 7, Grebennikov (L), Miljkovic 24, Podrascanin 10. DNP Vitelli, Corvetta, Cebulj. Coach. Blengini.
DIATEC TRENTINO: Antonov 4, Bratoev, Giannelli 4, Lanza 13, Solé 15, Djuric 25, Colaci (L), Van De Voorde 6, Urnaut 10, Mazzone. DNP Nelli, Mazzone, De Angelis. Coach. Stoytchev.
The Del Monte® Italian Cup final 2016 in Assago’s Forum tomorrow at 5.30pm will be Modena versus Trentino. The latter had the better of Civitanova at the end of five extremely tight sets in which the difference was made on a couple of rallies, no more. Modena against Trento is a remake of last year’s final won by Modena, and it is also a remake of the league final, in which Trento celebrated.
Tonight, it was show time from start to finish. Trento went ahead twice but Civitanova had none of it and fought back on each occasion to send it to a tie-break. And the fifth set was as thrilling as the whole game. Civitanova took the early lead (3-1) but aces from Urnaut and Solé had Trento moving in front (4-6). Civitanova could not seem to fill this two-point gap and there was more drama at the end with the Video Check which cancelled Trento’s first match point before confirming the second one. Lanza and co could finally celebrate.
Gianlorenzo Blengini (coach Cucine Lube Banca Marche Civitanova): “A defeat like this is tough to take in. The ones you lose at the tie-break hurt twice as much, even three times as much, especially when there’s so much at stake. Trento did an excellent job of coming back from behind in the fifth set. We never managed to catch up after that. Credit to them. Even before the fifth set we found it very hard, we struggled to build on certain leads. Very often, we’re not ready to play in the first set, we have to do better. Juantorena was not hundred percent, especially in reception, but he’s a player who can have a good influence even in precarious physical conditions, he can help the team get a break or get clutch points at the end of tight sets. The Italian Cup was one of our goals, but we couldn’t do it. We have to reflect on it in order to understand where we can get better. There are some inaccuracies we have clean up, defeats are useful as well to make steps forwards”.
Dragan Stankovic (Cucine Lube Banca Marche Civitanova): “Another bad defeat just like in the last two editions of the Italian Cup. This is the third time in a row that we lose in the semi-finals. We made too many mistakes in the first and third set, we did not play good dig either, so we didn’t have enough counters. We wanted to give it our best shot and we tried to take some risks, maybe too many, we might have thrown away a couple of plays where we should have been more patient. We lack consistency during the sets. There’s no easy games this season, but if we learn to play our best volleyball with consistency, we’ll have some excellent results”.
Radostin Stoytchev (coach Diatec Trentino): “I did not expect such a hard-fought game. We have been a bit unlucky in the fourth set but in the fifth we’re the ones who had some luck on our side. Both teams deserved to win, they have an excellent team. Modena is the most in-form team and they’ve proved it, we’ll have to give it a great fight. Those games are prepared first in terms of tactics and then psychologically but credit to the boys for clinching this victory”.
Mitar Djuric (Diatec Trentino): “I am delighted. We’ve done a great job, but we have to forget about this game. We’ll have to play even better tomorrow. They had more pressure than us and that helped us a little bit”.
Del Monte® Italian Cup SuperLega – Final
Mediolanum Forum – Assago (MI)
Sunday 7 February at 5.30pm
DHL Modena – Diatec Trentino – Live on RAI Sport 1
Del Monte® Italian Cup Serie A2 – Final
Mediolanum Forum – Assago (MI)
Sunday 7 February at 2pm
Globo Banca Popolare del Frusinate Sora – Tonno Callipo Calabria Vibo Valentia Live on Sport 1 (ch 61) and Lega Volley Channel
Del Monte® Italian Cup Serie A2 Final: Vibo Valentia keeps the cup
Del Monte® Italian Cup Serie A2 Final
Vibo Valentia again
Result:
Globo Banca Pop. Frusinate Sora-Tonno Callipo Calabria Vibo Valentia 2-3 (21-25, 25-20, 21-25, 25-23, 12-15)
GLOBO BANCA POPOLARE DEL FRUSINATE SORA – TONNO CALLIPO CALABRIA VIBO VALENTIA 2-3 (21-25, 25-20, 21-25, 25-23, 12-15) – GLOBO BANCA POPOLARE DEL FRUSINATE SORA: Fabroni 3, Mariano 7, Festi 7, Santucci (L), Bacca 4, Rosso 29, Hoogendoorn 22, Buzzelli, Giglioli 2, Marrazzo, Sperandio 7. DNP Lucarelli, Mauti. Coach. Soli.
TONNO CALLIPO CALABRIA VIBO VALENTIA: Pinelli 2, Marra (L), Casoli 14, Michalovic 26, Forni 10, Vedovotto 7, Sardanelli, Presta 5. DNP Korniienko, Ferraro, Maccarone, Corrado. Coach. Mastrangelo.
Vibo Valentia lifts the Italian Cup A2 aloft for the second time running. Mastrangelo’s men had the better of Sora at the tie-break in front of over 6000 spectators in Assago’s Forum. This is the third cup of the club’s history as Vibo had won it in 2003. In their first final ever, the group of coach Fabio Soli went very close but a sluggish start and end of the game cost them dear. The 29 points of top scorer Rosso and the 48% of Sora in attack did not prevent Vibo from celebrating. The winners could count on the prowess of libero Marra, who had a tremendous night. The 25 serve mistakes of Sora were key too, as the holders of the trophy limited theirs to 12. The MVP award went to Michalovic who scored 26 points, showing composure and the killer touch in the important moments of the game. More cup glory for Filippo Vedovotto, who celebrates for the third consecutive year, having won it in 2014 with Padova. Big day for Cristian Casoli too, who made up for last year’s loss with Potenza against his current team in the final played in Chieti.
Fabio Soli (coach Globo Banca Popolare del Frusinate Sora): “It’s disappointing because we had the third set in our hands, but then they went on a run and turned things around. When Vibo was 2-1 up, we hanged in there and managed to get back in that fourth set and win it. Unfortunately, we couldn’t do the same in the tie-break but against a solid and experienced squad like the one of Mastrangelo it was tough to get another come-back. I’m really sorry because we worked extremely hard to get there. But we can only try to learn from this experience and work so that such episodes don’t repeat themselves until the end of the regular season”.
Marco Fabroni (Globo Banca Popolare del frusinate Sora): “Vibo Valentia definitely has more experience than us in such competition, we’re still learning. I think the difference was that they were more prepared psychologically, more prepared to handle situations like today’s and obtain the result”.
Vincenzo Mastrangelo (coach Tonno Callipo Calabria Vibo Valentia): “I had lost seven games in as many played in three years against Sora so far in my career. That was a good time to win that first one. We did a good job to keep pulling together in the third set when they were ahead and when we let that fourth set slip away. We knew we had to take care of details and maintain a high rhythm. Our focus will now turn to the playoffs. We’ll enjoy that victory for a couple of days and from Wednesday we’ll get back to work and focus on coming games”.
Cristian Casoli (Tonno Callipo Calabria Vibo Valentia): “This is an immense satisfaction. I am so delighted. That was a battle till the very last rally but we clinched it. Volleyball is in my heart, I still love to play with my teammates. I dedicate this triumph to all of us and my family”.
PAST WINNERS
1997/98 Sira Falconara
1998/99 Cosmogas Forlì
1999/00 Della Rovere Carifano
2000/01 Pony Express Kappa Torino
2001/02 Copra Piacenza
2002/03 Tonno Callipo Vibo Valentia
2003/04 Marmi Lanza Verona
2004/05 Codyeco Santa Croce
2005/06 Salento d’amare Taviano
2006/07 Sparkling Milano
2007/08 Marmi Lanza Verona
2008/09 Andreoli Latina
2009/10 M. Roma Volley
2010/11 NGM Mobile Santa Croce
2011/12 BCC-NEP Castellana Grotte
2012/13 Sidigas HS Atripalda
2013/14 Tonazzo Padova
2014/15 Tonno Callipo Calabria Vibo Valentia
2015/16 Tonno Callipo Calabria Vibo Valentia
Result:
DHL Modena-Diatec Trentino 3-0 (25-19, 25-22, 25-13)
DHL MODENA – DIATEC TRENTINO 3-0 (25-19, 25-22, 25-13)
DHL MODENA: Mossa De Rezende 2, Petric 2, Rossini (L), Ngapeth 16, Nikic, Piano 2, Saatkamp 11, Vettori 19. DNP Donadio, Soli, Casadei, Sartoretti, Bossi, Sighinolfi. Coach. Lorenzetti.
DIATEC TRENTINO: Antonov, Bratoev, De Angelis, Giannelli 1, Lanza 6, Solé 4, Djuric 11, Colaci (L), Van De Voorde 5, Urnaut 8. DNP Nelli, Mazzone, Mazzone. Coach. Stoytchev.
Modena’s second Italian Cup in a row is also the 12th in the history of the club. Winners in Bologna in 2015, Lorenzetti’s men had since won the SuperCup in October on home ground. They had the better of Trentino, who’s been their main rival in recent finals. The hosts dictated things from the early goings thanks to some sharp serving and some terrific attacking. Luca Vettori stood out with 19 points and was named MVP but the whole Modena attack worked to perfection (63%). Djuric (11 points) and Urnaut (8 points) had good games for Trento in defeat.
Angelo Lorenzetti (coach DHL Modena): “Winning is amazing. And doing so with this team is difficult to describe how good it feels. Thanks to our fans, thanks to the people that are close to us. It’s been a difficult game, against a top quality opponent. At the start of the season, I said we’d be going after the finals. We made it here and we got Modena its second Italian cup in two years. I am really happy, for me, the club and for everyone in Modena”.
Bruno Mossa De Rezende: (DHL Modena) “It’s a dream, something amazing. I am incredibly proud to be the captain of a team that has given everything and will always do so. A big thank you to our fans. The support they give us is just unbelievable”.
Simone Giannelli (Diatec Trentino): “Modena played an excellent game while we didn’t. We’ll have to analyse later the game, the mistakes we made, and then try to work hard in the gym to get better. I don’t think yesterday’s five sets really had any influence in the defeat. Modena has simply played better than us. We hope and want to redeem ourselves soon”.
Filippo Lanza (Diatec Trentino): “We had a poor game. We deserved to lose. We don’t have time to cry too much over the final lost though. We immediately have to bounce back and we know how to do it. I know we can do it”.
PAST WINNERS
1978/79 Panini Modena
1979/80 Panini Modena
1980/81 Edilcuoghi Sassuolo
1981/82 Santal Parma
1982/83 Santal Parma
1983/84 Bartolini Bologna
1984/85 Panini Modena
1985/86 Panini Modena
1986/87 Santal Parma
1987/88 Panini Modena
1988/89 Panini Modena
1989/90 Maxicono Parma
1990/91 Il Messaggero Ravenna
1991/92 Maxicono Parma
1992/93 Sisley Treviso
1993/94 Daytona Modena
1994/95 Daytona Las Modena
1995/96 Alpitour Traco Cuneo
1996/97 Las Daytona Modena
1997/98 Casa Modena Unibon
1998/99 Tnt Alpitour Cuneo
1999/00 Sisley Treviso
2000/01 Lube Banca Marche Macerata
2001/02 Noicom Brebanca Cuneo
2002/03 Lube Banca Marche Macerata
2003/04 Sisley Treviso
2004/05 Sisley Treviso
2005/06 Bre Banca Lannutti Cuneo
2006/07 Sisley Treviso
2007/08 Lube Banca Marche Macerata
2008/09 Lube Banca Marche Macerata
2009/10 Itas Diatec Trentino
2010/11 Bre Banca Lannutti Cuneo
2011/12 Itas Diatec Trentino
2012/13 Itas Diatec Trentino
2013/14 Copra Elior Piacenza
2014/15 Parmareggio Modena
2015/16 DHL MODENA
The winner in Europe
The winner of the Del Monte® Italian Cup is guaranteed to be able to take part in the CEV Cup 2016-17.
