Serie A1 TIM
Round 27
At 3pm on Saturday, Verona and Monza fight it out live on Rai Sport Più. The hosts offer some special discounts for the men and free entry for the women. At 6pm, Trento will meet Forli for the sixth times in history. Forli has never won it. The rest of the game will be on Sunday: It’s third versus fourth with Treviso versus Piacenza (14 wins each). In fifth place, there is Modena (which just renewed coach Prandi), which is home against Perugia, and Macerata, home as well against Taranto. Cuneo travels to Roseto to face Pineto, while Latina plays host to Loreto in a big clash between two teams fighting to stay up. Vibo Valentia is rested.
Round 27
Saturday 6 March at 3pm
Marmi Lanza Verona – Acqua Paradiso Monza – Live on Rai Sport Più
diretta streaming su http://www.raisport.rai.it/dl/raisport/multimedia/diretta.html
(Bartolini-Saltalippi)
Saturday 6 March at 6pm
Itas Diatec Trentino – Yoga Forlì
(Zucca-Boris)
Sunday 7 March at 6pm
Sisley Treviso – CoprAtlantide Piacenza – Live on Rai Sport Più
Live streaming on http://www.raisport.rai.it/dl/raisport/multimedia/diretta.html
(Santi-Tanasi)
Lube Banca Marche Macerata – Prisma Taranto
(Cesare-Caltabiano)
Andreoli Latina – Esse-ti Carilo Loreto
(Barbero-Satanassi)
Aran Cucine Abruzzo Pineto – Bre Banca Lannutti Cuneo
(Pozzato-La Micela)
Trenkwalder Modena – RPA-LuigiBacchi.it Perugia
(Braico-Cinti)
Tonno Callipo Vibo Valentia – RESTED
League table
Itas Diatec Trentino 60, Bre Banca Lannutti Cuneo 54, Sisley Treviso 52, CoprAtlantide Piacenza 51, Trenkwalder Modena, Lube Banca Marche Macerata 48, Acqua Paradiso Monza 46, Marmi Lanza Verona 41, RPA-LuigiBacchi.it Perugia 33, Tonno Callipo Vibo Valentia 30, Prisma Taranto 25, Andreoli Latina 20, Yoga Forlì 18, Esse-ti Carilo Loreto 14, Aran Cucine Abruzzo Pineto 6.
1 more game: CoprAtlantide Piacenza, Marmi Lanza Verona, Tonno Callipo Vibo Valentia, Andreoli Latina
Marmi Lanza Verona – Acqua Paradiso Monza
PAST ENCOUNTERS: 1 (Monza)
Bruno Bagnoli (Marmi Lanza Verona): “Both Verona and Monza found their balance with excellent teams and coaches. The high stake of a playoff spot has helped both teams to consistently improve but has seen others with better reputations not do as well. Good serving and making the right choices against Travica will be the most important factors to get points”.
Mauro Berruto (Acqua Paradiso Monza): “We are in good shape right now and we have to take advantage of this momentum, both on a technical and mental level. We are playing well and showing confidence in what we’re doing and these are good signs. Saturday’s game against Verona will have its difficulties: They are playing excellent volleyball as well and they play in an exciting gym, it will be great to play there. We’ll face this game a bit like a final, we are already mathematically in the playoffs but a win would allow us to make sure Verona stays behind. In those last four games, our target will be to fight for the best position possible in regular season, so Saturday’s game represents a hurdle to overcome to go higher”.
Itas Diatec Trentino – Yoga Forlì
PAST ENCOUNTERS: 5 (All 5 for Trento).
Tsvetan Sokolov (Itas Diatec Trentino): “I’ve just arrived in Italy but I’ve already understood that you need the same mental approach against the teams standing towards the bottom of the table. This is why I don’t consider Saturday’s game against Forli easy. Forli will hope to find us not hundred percent focused between two Champions League games but we don’t want to lose the six-point advantage we have on the second. So I think we’ll keep playing the same way. If they need me, I’ll try to be ready like last Sunday against Verona. It’s not important to be in the starting six or come on during the game. What matters is that the team wins and manages to improve”.
Graydon Ainsworth (Yoga Forlì): “We have to give it our best shot. You never know, so it’s worth playing to our maximum, even if it is obvious that the other games are more “possible” for us. On Sunday, we will be looking closely at the game between Latina and Loreto. We want to stay up at all cost”.
Sisley Treviso – CoprAtlantide Piacenza
PAST ENCOUNTERS: 28 (14 each)
Alessandro Fei (Sisley Treviso): “It will be a good opportunity for us, Piacenza is going through tough times, it seems they will be without Meoni and Marshall. We have to try to take advantage, increase our point difference with them and stay at the top. A great opportunity but it’s up to us to take it on the bounce and play a good game. We still have to show our worth. We are a strong team and the only way to prove it is to face this game with maximum focus and be aware of this opportunity we have. We are facing three important games, Piacenza home, Monza and Trento away: this will be a great test for the playoffs. These are not crucial games but important to see where we are. We are obviously working hard physically to prepare the playoffs, so a defeat in those games could happen, it would not be a big deal, but they are still important games for the post season. This will give us hints and indications, starting on Sunday”.
Angelo Lorenzetti (CoprAtlantide Piacenza): “I don’t know how is the team: we have worked very little this week and travelled a lot. We are missing important players, which forced us not only to change starting six but tactics too. This is a tricky period for us, we have to focus on ourselves more than on the opponent and re-invent ourselves as a group. Treviso proved how important is motivation, beyond the quality of the players. Motivation will be key for us too”.
Lube Banca Marche Macerata – Prisma Taranto
PAST ENCOUNTERS: 13 (10-3 Macerata)
Marko Podrascanin (Lube Banca Marche Macerata): “We had more problems in Monza, this is what we have to work on, and what we’re doing in training. What I’m saying is that we’ll have to work on ourselves more than study the opponent against Taranto and the other 3 games until the end of the regular season. We’ll focus on our game and hopefully we can make good improvements. Consistency, in terms of results and especially level of play, is the most important aspect for us”.
Zibigniew Bartman (Prisma Taranto): “I personally want to do well in these last few games, and I think my teammates too. We don’t have any target to reach, we should be safe but we’ll try to gather a couple of wins for our chairman. Macerata will try to bounce back from recent defeats: they have great potential but if we play with the same determination as against Modena, improving on our reception, then I’m sure we could have a good performance”.
Andreoli Latina – Esse-ti Carilo Loreto
PAST ENCOUNTERS: 13 (8-5 Latina)
Danilo Cortina (Andreoli Latina): “This is a final for us. We know we have to give our all to win it. We must make the court advantage count. I remember last year, we had the gym packed for those games. I count on the fans to support us”.
Enrico Cester (Esse-ti Carilo Loreto): “We have been preparing this game against Latina for two whole weeks. It will be absolutely crucial to stay up. In the last few days, we have also trained with Macerata, with which we did good things, especially at the net and in dig. These are aspects we want to repeat on Sunday. We have to win these game at all cost, like the two others that will follow at home, against Taranto and Pineto. Three encounters that will decide our future”.
Aran Cucine Abruzzo Pineto – Bre Banca Lannutti Cuneo
PAST ENCOUNTERS: 3 (Cuneo won all 3)
Mauro Talleri (Direttore Sportivo Aran Cucine Abruzzo Pineto): “The work done by Robert Fant is praiseworthy. Despite the negative results and our doomed position in the table, he keeps working with maximum professionalism. He obtained a very positive answers from the boys, who put the effort is, playing with determination. A good example if Victor Perez, who is showing great personality and capacity to be a threat in attack, something you would not have expected from him at the beginning of the season. Credit to Maurizio Medico as well, who keeps working hard, analysing meticulously the games to provide maximum useful information to prepare training and the tactics. Hopefully, this good work will help us to win a few sets and get something out of the remaining games”.
Simone Parodi (Bre Banca Lannutti Cuneo): “Our focus must remain on Sunday’s game in Pineto, even if their is a lot of excitement regarding the Cev Cup Final Four qualification, which we’ll play at the end of the month. February has been a tough month but now we have the right attitude and I’m sure we’ll face the next few games the best possible way”.
Trenkwalder Modena – RPA-LuigiBacchi.it Perugia
PAST ENCOUNTERS: 15 (10-5 Modena)
Cristian Casòli (Trenkwalder Modena): “Perugia is a strong team, which put together a string of four consecutive wins, as it still has a slight chance to make it to the playoffs. It will be a very tough game. We want to keep gathering points to stay with the top teams: we’ll have a look at where we stand only at the end of the season. In the meantime, let’s play one game at a time. Beyond the points, we also want to improve our game and try to get to the playoffs in good shape. Only Perugia should be on our mind now, we must keep maximum concentration from first to last ball”.
Stefano Rinchi (Direttore Generale RPA-LuigiBacchi.it Perugia): “We still have a chance to go to the playoffs. Our preparation is not only aimed for the European Cup but also for the regular season. As long as we’ll be in with a shot at the playoffs we’ll keep fighting for it. It’s obvious that it does not only depend on our performances, but from the ones of Verona”.
Serie A2 TIM
Round 25
In the 25th round of the A2, on Saturday the league leaders Castellana Grotte will meet Massa, looking for points to stay up. On Sunday, Santa Croce hosts Gioia del Colle, while Padova entertains Roma, second in the league. Bottom of the league Mantova faces Ravenna, fifth. Bassano keeps fighting to stay up as it hosts Bologna, third. Cavriago travels to Sora. At 8.20, live on Snai Sat, Crema hosts Città di Castello. Isernia is rested.
Round 25
Sunday 7 March at 3pm
BCC-NEP Castellana Grotte – Quasar Massa Versilia
(Chimento-Costantini)
Sunday 7 March at 6pm
Codyeco Santa Croce – Nava Gioia del Colle
(Orpianesi-Pignataro)
Pallavolo Padova – M. Roma Volley
(Trevisan-Zanussi)
Bassano Volley – Zinella Bologna
(Parlato-Sessolo)
Canadiens Mantova – Marcegaglia Ravenna
(Cerquoni-Balboni)
Globo Banca Popolare del Frusinate Sora – Edilesse Cavriago
(Canessa-Gini)
Sunday 7 March at 8.30pm
Samgas Crema – Città di Castello Pallavolo – Live on Snai Sat from 10.20pm
(Venturi-Bassan)
Katay Geotec Isernia – RESTED
League table
BCC-NEP Castellana Grotte 55, M. Roma Volley 48, Zinella Bologna 45, Globo Banca Popolare del Frusinate Sora 42, Marcegaglia Ravenna 38, Samgas Crema 36, Codyeco S.Croce 34, Città di Castello Pallavolo 32, Pallavolo Padova 31, Edilesse Cavriago 30, Katay Geotec Isernia 29, Quasar Massa Versilia 24, Bassano Volley 22, Nava Gioia del Colle 20, Canadiens Mantova 18.
1 more game: Città di Castello Pallavolo, Edilesse Cavriago, Katay Geotec Isernia, Quasar Massa Versilia, Bassano Volley, Nava Gioia del Colle
