Serie A1
Round 4
Show time is back with the fourth round of the Serie A1. Saturday’s game will put face to face Forli, without Kovacevic, and Castellana Grotte. More spectacular games will come on Sunday with Monza versus Roma and Macerata versus Trentino.
Round 4
Saturday 13 November at 6.30pm
Yoga Forlì – BCC-NEP Castellana Grotte Live on Rai Sport 1
Live streaming on http://www.raisport.rai.it/dl/raisport/multimedia/diretta.html
(Perri – Cesare)
Sunday 14 November at 6pm
Acqua Paradiso Monza Brianza – M. Roma Volley Live on Rai Sport 1
Live streaming on http://www.raisport.rai.it/dl/raisport/multimedia/diretta.html
(Padoan – Sobrero)
Lube Banca Marche Macerata – Itas Diatec Trentino
(Boris – Pasquali)
Casa Modena – Tonno Callipo Vibo Valentia
(Puecher – Balboni)
Sisley Treviso – Copra Morpho Piacenza
(Ippoliti – Braico)
Bre Banca Lannutti Cuneo – Andreoli Latina
(Castagna – Cerquoni)
RPA-LuigiBacchi.it San Giustino – Marmi Lanza Verona
(Pessolano – Tanasi)
League table
Itas Diatec Trentino 12*, Lube Banca Marche Macerata 9, Andreoli Latina 7, Bre Banca Lannutti Cuneo 7, Marmi Lanza Verona 6, Sisley Treviso 6, M. Roma Volley 5, Casa Modena 4, Acqua Paradiso Monza Brianza 3, Copra Morpho Piacenza 3*, Tonno Callipo Vibo Valentia 3, BCC-NEP Castellana Grotte 1, Yoga Forlì 0, RPA-LuigiBacchi.it San Giustino 0.
*1 game more: Itas Diatec Trentino, Copra Morpho Piacenza
Yoga Forlì – BCC-NEP Castellana Grotte
PAST ENCOUNTERS: 8 (7-1 Forli)
Toni Kovacevic (Yoga Forlì): “It’s a real shame to miss this game. I really wanted to be in it, this is a crucial game for us, we need to move up the table and this is a good opportunity to do so. I’m sure we’ll do well, the team trained just fine. Our fans will also give us a hand”.
Raffaele Epifani (Ass.coach BCC-NEP Castellana Grotte): “We have worked well this week, we tried to get rid of the mistakes made in the first three games. We have worked on lot on those details and are convinced we will make strides forward and improve in the league. Physically, the players that arrived this summer with minor worries are on the road to full recovery and together with the athletic trainer, we are starting to see the results of the work done. It will be a very tough game against Forli, like all the games in the league. I think right now the wins are more important in terms of confidence and spirit more than for our position in the league table”.
Acqua Paradiso Monza Brianza – M. Roma Volley
PAST ENCOUNTERS: None
Luca Monti (Coach Acqua Paradiso Monza Brianza): “Roma is definitely a team we can beat but we have to face this game with a different mentality than the one of the last encounters. We can definitely get a result if we are mentally free and obviously if we find our rhythm, by touching balls at the net and digging. They have quality so if we are tense, we run the risk of making things difficult for ourselves. The most dangerous player? Definitely Poey, he’s an athlete that can make the difference, but I repeat, we have to focus on our game”.
Nicolas Uriarte (M. Roma Volley): “Monza is in need of points because, although they obtained a valuable win in Piacenza, they were defeated against Macerata and Trento, candidates for the top spots. They have what it takes to beat Roma. However, this is the precise reason that should help us psychologically to come back home with something out of it. The win over Forli gave us a boost. Now we need to build on that 3-1 score of last Saturday”.
Lube Banca Marche Macerata – Itas Diatec Trentino
PAST ENCOUNTERS: 28 (16-12 Trento)
Mauro Berruto (Coach Lube Banca Marche Macerata): “A game between the two only undefeated teams. True that it’s only November but this is still an interesting data, which adds extra motivation to this encounter. This will be a good test against Trento, both for Macerata and the Fontescodella, which hopefully will be fuller and more colourful than ever. Trento is one of the strongest teams of the past few years, it could be compared to a target…while we are the arrow”.
Andrea Sala (Itas Diatec Trentino): “The three wins in three games at the Fontescodella last season does not mean anything anymore because Macerata changed a third of its starting six, moving Paparoni to libero and buying Savani. It therefore doesn’t make any sense to look at the recent past, we have to focus on the present. This game is important for various reasons: amongst them, the league table because we want to remain the only one unbeaten. Macerata has played brilliant volleyball so far, one more reason to be eager to face them and see where we stand. I think this will be a very hard-fought game, even if it was to end in less than four sets. I really can’t see a 3-0 score with a big difference in the sets. This will be a real battle, we’ll give it a fight and we know they will too”.
Casa Modena – Tonno Callipo Vibo Valentia
PAST ENCOUNTERS: 10 (7-3 Modena)
Marco Cosimo Piscopo (Casa Modena): “I think this will be a very tough game, even more difficult than the previous ones: We have just lost in Piacenza, where we played poorly. Vibo is a good team that will come here to win. We had a couple of minor injuries during the week too, but we are working well, and we are looking for the right balance. We have to show our worth, we want to be ready and show what we can do, as a team, and especially on the serve and at the net. I feel personally ready enough, I’m working, I consider myself a “warrior” so If I get called upon, I’ll give everything”.
Josè Rivera (Tonno Callipo Vibo Valentia): “Modena is a very dangerous team, they are favourites, we’ll have to be extremely composed and ready to play with our strengths, like we did against Roma. We were nervous in Latina and paid the price, we made many mistakes in the clutch moments of the sets. I am excited because I know we’ll play in what has been described to me as the temple of Italian volleyball. We have done a good job this week, if we play the right way, we can get a good result”.
Sisley Treviso – Copra Morpho Piacenza
PAST ENCOUNTERS: 29 (15-14 Treviso)
Roberto Piazza (Sisley Treviso): “Piacenza has changed a lot compared to recent years, and at the beginning it paid the price of having a new team, but in the last two games against Trento, and even more against Modena (3-0) last Sunday, it showed all its worth and how dangerous it was”.
Giorgio Varacca (Copra Morpho Piacenza): “This is psychologically an important game: Piacenza has just obtained a win against a top-class team, it showed an impressive level of technique and it was competitive. It proved it has overcome the tough times of the previous games. Looking at this performance, I think Piacenza can play with more confidence against Treviso, without obviously underestimating this excellent opponent”.
Bre Banca Lannutti Cuneo – Andreoli Latina
PAST ENCOUNTERS: 16 (12-4 Cuneo)
Wout Wijsmans (Bre Banca Lannutti Cuneo): “I am glad the first three rounds have finally gone by, in which I haven’t been able to play because of this change of nationality. On Sunday, my season starts. It was hard to be out for those three weeks, I knew it was going to be tough, the will to get on court and help my teammates was too strong. Fortunately those three games have gone. We’re expecting a tough game on Sunday. Latina started well its season, they are ahead of us in their preparation, we are still looking for our balance. Still, we are ready, we know it won’t be easy but it’s crucial to gather some points starting now, because the season will get more and more difficult”.
Francesco Pieri (Andreoli Latina): “I’ll meet my former teammates after a brilliant season in which we won the league title. We have to take advantage of the fact that they have carried out a preparation aiming to reach their peak further down the road because of the Champions League. This doesn’t mean we are the favourites, but that we have to take advantage of the moment. This remains a very tough game, from which we’ll be able to understand where we stand compared to the teams standing at the top. It will be nice to be back in the gym and meet everyone in Cuneo, it’s impossible to forget two years spent there”.
RPA-LuigiBacchi.it San Giustino – Marmi Lanza Verona
PAST ENCOUNTERS: 18 (11-7 Perugia)
Emanuele Zanini (Coach RPA-LuigiBacchi.it San Giustino): “It will be a real tough battle. With everyone fit, this team is bound to take part in the playoffs. The combination Meoni-Lasko is top-notch, it’s no wonder they both played with Italy. Talking about setter, I want to congratulate Latelli who is back at his best in his role, libero, he did miracles. Verona has very strong middle blockers, Cuban Cala Gerardo, who does very well in attack and serve, without forgetting the experienced Herpe. All in all, a quality roster against which we have to show the same fighting spirit and character than against Trento and Macerata. The group keeps making progresses, the understanding in the team is improving every day. Still, there is more margin for improvement. Our aim on Sunday is to get something out of the game”.
Maurizio Latelli (Marmi Lanza Verona): “We have worked well this week. We have already got six points, we are extremely confident ahead of the trip to Perugia where we want to get to nine points. They basically start their league campaign this week: they have made different choices than us because of the tough beginning of season they had to face and maybe because they have worked differently during the physical preparation too. They are surely aware of the fact we are not the same team they met in the San Benedetto tournament. We’ll go there to win it. A victory would allow us to get back in the gym next week knowing we have the potential to play face to face with anyone. The important thing will be to give our all”.
Serie A2
Fifth round
The A2 is ready for round 5. After two road wins in Loreto and Pineto, Sora will host Mantova in the opening game on Sunday morning. At 6pm, Padova plays home for the second time running against Gela. There’s a derby between Perugia and Città di Castello, with the first having suffered three consecutive losses. Babini’s team, Ravenna, currently second, plays host to Milan, fifth with 8 points and 3 wins, in what promises to be an interesting game. A minute silence will be respected before the game in tribute to Nerio Lontani, who collaborated for years with Ravenna as well as with the Italian Volleyball League. He brutally passed away last summer. Coach Daniele Ricci will make its debut on the Segrate bench as he took over Mario Motta, the coach that had helped the club to promotion in the A2. Ricci and his boys will travel to Reggio Emilia, which will line up new signing Alexeis Argilagos (former Sora, Castellana and Isernia player). Still top, Santa Croce takes on Pineto. Great celebration of volleyball in Genova as champions of the 60’s and 70’s will be present for the encounter against Loreto. Finally, Club Italia challenges Isernia.
Round 5
Sunday 14 November at 11.30am
Globo Banca Popolare Del Frusinate Sora – Canadiens Mantova Diretta Sportitalia 2
(Marchello – Cappello)
Sunday 14 November at 6pm
Pallavolo Padova – Eurogroup Gela
(Bartoloni – Falzoni)
Edilesse Conad Reggio Emilia – Volley Segrate 1978
(Carrara – Trevisan)
Sir Safety Perugia – Gherardi SVI Città Di Castello
(Prandi – Gelati)
Marcegaglia CMC Ravenna – CheBanca! Milano
(Astengo – Piersanti)
Carige Genova – Energy Resources Carilo Loreto
(Genna – Cardaci)
Club Italia Aeronautica Militare Roma – Geotec Isernia
(Puletti – Feriozzi)
NGM Mobile Santa Croce – Pallavolo Pineto
(Bertoletti – Prati)
League table
NGM Mobile S.Croce 11, Marcegaglia CMC Ravenna 10, Globo Banca Pop. Frusinate Sora 9, Pallavolo Padova 9, CheBanca! Milano 8, Eurogroup Gela 8, Gherardi SVI Città Di Castello 7, Canadiens Mantova 6, Edilesse Conad Reggio Emilia 5, Carige Genova 5, Sir Safety Perugia 4, Geotec Isernia 4, Energy Resources Carilo Loreto 3, Pallavolo Pineto 3, Club Italia A.M. Roma 2, Volley Segrate 1978 2.
