Serie A1
Last regular season round
On the eve of this last regular season round, four playoffs positions are yet to be defined. The biggest prize is the sixth place. The fight to get it and qualify directly for the quarter-finals will be between Perugia and Vibo Valentia. The latter will also be looking over its shoulders as Castellana and Latina are also ready to pounce to snatch seventh place.
Possible positions, what’s at stake
Positions between 1st and fifth cannot change, and neither position 10.
Teams that already know where they’ll stand:
1. Itas Diatec Trentino
2. Cucine Lube Banca Marche Macerata
3. Copra Elior Piacenza
4. Bre Banca Lannutti Cuneo
5. Casa Modena
10. Altotevere San Giustino
Fight for 6-7th place
Sir Safety Perugia, Tonno Callipo Vibo Valentia
Fight for 7th, 8th and 9th place
Between Tonno Callipo Vibo Valentia, BCC-NEP Castellana Grotte and Andreoli Latina if Sir Safety Perugia secures 6th place.
Serie A1 round 22
Sunday March 10 at 5.30pm
Andreoli Latina – Casa Modena Live on RAI Sport 1
Live streaming on www.raisport.rai.it
(Sampaolo-Balboni)
Sunday March 10 at 6pm
Altotevere San Giustino – BCC-NEP Castellana Grotte Live on Sportube.tv
(Puecher-Piana)
CMC Ravenna – Itas Diatec Trentino
(Prandi-Ravallese)
Tonno Callipo Vibo Valentia – Cucine Lube Banca Marche Macerata
(Tanasi-Pol)
Marmi Lanza Verona – Copra Elior Piacenza
(Zucca-Satanassi)
Bre Banca Lannutti Cuneo – Sir Safety Perugia
(Caltabiano-Sobrero)
League table
Itas Diatec Trentino 51, Cucine Lube Banca Marche Macerata 47, Copra Elior Piacenza 44, Bre Banca Lannutti Cuneo 40, Casa Modena 36, Sir Safety Perugia 33, Tonno Callipo Vibo Valentia 31, BCC-NEP Castellana Grotte 29, Andreoli Latina 28, Altotevere San Giustino 20, CMC Ravenna 10, Marmi Lanza Verona 9
Andreoli Latina – Casa Modena
PAST ENCOUNTERS: 22 (14-8 Modena)
Massimiliano Prandi (Andreoli Latina): “The season is not over yet, things are getting serious now but it’s true we focused and spent a lot of energy on the Cev Cup. Now we have to prepare ourselves for the last regular season game and the playoffs. We start off from the 8th of final and we’ll give everything we have one game after another. We have to make one step at a time and try to do our best. But first is Modena.
Angelo Lorenzetti (coach Casa Modena): “Very important game for us. First because we want to keep this attitude we had since the beginning of giving everything in every single moment without looking at the table, and then, given the players we’re missing in training, this represent an opportunity to play at a high level. Deroo and Kovacevic are out, so Casadei will play spiker. We’re doing our best with what we have now. Cuneo? We’re thinking day to day, that’s the only way to get to the quarter-finals in the best shape possible”.
Altotevere San Giustino – BCC-NEP Castellana Grotte
PAST ENCOUNTERS: 1 (San Giustino)
Andrea Sartoretti (Sport director Altotevere San Giustino): “We did not do well in Modena, we had a few physical worries but that should not be an excuse. We need a different performance against Castellana Grotte, we want to finish this regular season with a good result. We’ll meet a different team than in the first half of season, they are really up for it. In the return games, Castellana collected a lot of wins, they played well even against big teams, and if things go their way they could even finish seventh. That’s why they will not give anything away. But we’re not happy yet, the qualification for the playoffs is an important achievement but we keep working to get better every day. It’s important to keep imposing our style of play, fast and accurate. We should not be afraid to try various solutions, even difficult ones, in those games the attitude is extremely important. In Castellana we had played our best road game of the season, we had done well in every area of the game, we had not wasted anything. If we can play at that level, this will surely be a great game. We’re already preparing the playoffs: I am curious to see what happens no matter the opponent. This will be a great experience, another important step, mentally and sportively, in the learning process of this group”.
Pino Lorizio (Ass.coach BCC-NEP Castellana Grotte): “This has already been a superb season for us but we have a chance to get something more in San Giustino, for us, the team, and all the people that have been working hard with us. In the first meeting, we did well to quickly put behind us a poor home loss: now we have to think about it as a game like any other. We want to finish the regular season on a high, and with the attitude we had in recent month we can do it”.
CMC Ravenna – Itas Diatec Trentino
PAST ENCOUNTERS: 3 (Trento won all 3)
Mauro Fresa (coach CMC): “We’re up against the strongest team in the world, which is also preparing the playoffs without being disturbed by other competitions. But we want to do well in our last game of the season in front of our fans”.
Matteo Burgsthaler (Itas Diatec Trentino): “Sunday’s game is important: we’ll go there to take this test, we want to maintain a high level of concentration during the whole game no matter who the coach will sent on court. We want to finish with a victory, we certainly don’t want to have a bad memory to drag on until the playoffs quarter-finals. Ravenna will not have any pressure and will be pushed by their ever numerous crowd. Ravenna is a great city in Italian volleyball despite the fact they had two difficult years in the A1, they always had maximum enthusiasm. That’s what we’ll try to show, enthusiasm, and play a serious game with focus right until the end”.
Tonno Callipo Vibo Valentia – Cucine Lube Banca Marche Macerata
PAST ENCOUNTERS: 20 (14-6 Macerata)
Simone Buti (Tonno Callipo Vibo Valentia): “Macerata has such a deep roster that whoever will be on court will be up for it. Even if they were to make changes, they would probably be even more motivated to get a result. Whatever happens, this will be a difficult but important game for us. We’d like to win at least a home game in this second half of season given that all our victories came away from home. This is our last chance to get it. If we can show maximum determination from the start, I am sure this will be a great game”.
Ivan Zaytsev (Cucine Lube Banca Marche Macerata): “The points at stake are definitely more important for Vibo than for us, but we’ll go there to play a good game and win. We have to prove to ourselves that we have truly recovered from the difficult period we had, which ended with last Sunday’s win over Cuneo. We know we’ll be up against a good motivated team which will also have the push of their fans. But from now on, we really don’t want to lose any more games at all”.
Marmi Lanza Verona – Copra Elior Piacenza
PAST ENCOUNTERS: 19 (14-5 Piacenza)
Gabriele Maruotti (Copra Elior Piacenza): “We’re back in the league after the Challenge cup semis and the qualification for the final. The game against Verona is crucial for the team and its balance in order to spend the ten days that will separate us from the Challenge Cup final first leg away against Ural Ufa with positive minds. We’ll have to make the best of the opportunities that will come our way: it’s true this game does not matter to us in terms of league table but it’s very important for the whole team, to keep doing well, remain focused and prepare ourselves for the coming games we’ll face”.
Bruno Bagnoli (coach Marmi Lanza Verona): “Sunday will mark the end of a season made of a lot of difficulties due to the injuries to important players, and few bright moments that came from young players that made their debut in the A1. If we do well, this could be a first step towards a brighter future which is taking shape, but mainly an opportunity to spend time with our fans, who have always supported the team both home and away. Piacenza could be the trouble maker of the playoffs. I think the experienced players with the consistent improvement of the youngsters could make for a deadly recipe and that they could go all the way. I am expecting an extremely difficult game but an exciting one too, there will be a lot of interesting match-ups”.
Bre Banca Lannutti Cuneo – Sir Safety Perugia
PAST ENCOUNTERS: 1 (Perugia)
Nikola Grbic (Bre Banca Lannutit Cuneo): “Despite the fact this result will not have any influence on our position, we have to do our best because this is the last game before the Champions League final four. We’ll need to be focused and, as always, go for the win”.
Benedetto Rizzuto (Sport director Sir Safety Perugia): “This will be a crucial game because we have the sixth place at stake and therefore the possibility to avoid to play the playoffs 8th of final this Wednesday. We all hope to bounce back from the Vibo loss. We have this opportunity, we’ll try our best, even if we know it will be tough against this excellent team. We’re trying to have Semenzato ready for Sunday, even if he might not be hundred percent. We’ll need determination and character. Cuneo has been doing well of late: they reached their targets, this will definitely be an extremely complicated encounter”.
Serie A2
Round 23
Matera, whos’ rested, is already sure to stay up.
Sidigas Atripalda – Caffè Aiello Corigliano. Both looking to improve on their positions. Atripalda is currently fourth, which means having a one-game advantage in the quarters, but they only have a 3-point advantage on their opponent of the day.
Elettrosud Brolo – Globo Banca Popolare del Frusinate Sora. Brolo needs a point to make sure they stay up. Tofoli’s boys have always done well at home and they have a little chance left to make it into the playoffs (7 points away). Sora is fighting for second place, which is four points away, and also to defend its third position.
Sieco Service Ortona – Vero Volley Monza. 8th and already certain to be in the big dance, but they still have good chances to move up the table. Monza is three places in front but with only three more points. For Monza, this is a crucial game to defend this fifth place and launch an assault on Atriaplda.
Tonazzo Padova – Pallavolo Loreto. Padova will try to make the most of its last two home games to improve on their 7th place, while they will be rested in between. To keep its hopes of staying up alive, Loreto needs a 3-point win and defeats from Brolo and Potenza Picena.
Gherardi SVI Città di Castello – Exprivia Molfetta. Even if Città di Castello is already promoted in the A1, this match-up against Molfetta is the big game of the weekend. It’s first versus second. Città di Castello will chase victory number 21 while Molfetta will defend its second place and try to get to the playoffs in good shape.
B-Chem Golden Plast Potenza Picena – Conad Reggio Emilia. Could be an emotional day for Potenza. If they get a point or if Loreto loses in Padova, they would celebrate another season in the A2 despite having to fight all year long with a few too many injuries. Reggio’s mission is to secure as quickly as possible this ninth place, last playoff spot.
Serie A2 Round 23
Saturday March 9 at 6pm
Sidigas HS Atripalda – Caffè Aiello Corigliano
(Longo-Perri)
Sunday March 10 at 6pm
Elettrosud Brolo – Globo Banca Popolare del Frusinate Sora
(Piubelli-Zanussi)
Sieco Service Ortona – Vero Volley Monza
(Pozzato-Valeriani)
Tonazzo Padova – Pallavolo Loreto
(Bassan-Andreoni)
Gherardi SVI Città di Castello – Exprivia Molfetta Differed on RAI Sport 1 (Tuesday March 12 at 8pm)
(Chimento-Simbari)
B-Chem Golden Plast Potenza Picena – Conad Reggio Emilia
(Allegrini-Zingaro)
Rested: Coserplast Matera
League table
Gherardi SVI Città di Castello 59, Exprivia Molfetta 46, Globo Banca Popolare del Frusinate Sora 42, Sidigas HS Atripalda 37, Vero Volley Monza 35, Caffè Aiello Corigliano 34, Tonazzo Padova 34, Sieco Service Ortona 32, Conad Reggio Emilia 26, Coserplast Matera 21, B-Chem Golden Plast Potenza Picena 19, Elettrosud Brolo 19, Pallavolo Loreto 10.
1 Game more: Tonazzo Padova, Sieco Service Ortona, Coserplast Matera
