All five Italians involved in the European Cups made their way through to the next round but they must maintain a high level of concentration as Round 15 is upon us.
Verona celebrated qualification in the Challenge Cup quarter-finals with a 3-1 win in Galatasaray and now they will try to use the momentum to bounce back for its last league defeat at home against Molfetta at the tie-break. They will try to do so against Latina as Pesaresi will make his 100th appearance at the club. The visitors look to get back to winning ways too after a home loss against Civitanova.
Molfetta gained a lot of confidence from its come-back win in Verona and the December MVP award given to their star Cuban spiker Fernando Hernandez Ramos. They will try to get on a run against Milan, looking to make it four out of four against the northerners who stand bottom of the table with 5 points after being demolished home last week by the leader Modena. Milan had shown some sign of recovery towards the end of the first half of regular season but two complicated games have sent them back to sleep, and now they’ll go for a breakthrough in the heel of Italy.
Tough match coming up for Piacenza. The club’s new organization seems to be going extremely well with no less than 30 new partners but the run in the league has been tortuous. Last from bottom, they’re coming off a loss in Padova. They will host Trento, currently third after a victory obtained with character in three sets against Perugia. Thanks to a 3-0 road win in Belgium against Maaseik, the italian Champions made their way into the Playoffs 12 of the Champions League, in which they have been drawn again with a Belgium side, Asse-Lennik. Zlatanov is one block away from the 800.
In spite of an irrelevant loss in Europe against Roeselare, Civitanova finished top of its Champions League group and will meet Halkbank Ankara in the next round. Civitanova has sent spiker Pasquale Gabriele on loan to Lagonegro in the B1 division, while they signed US spiker William Reid Priddy, who was seen in the past in Vibo Valentia and Forlì. They are chasing the league leaders, standing one point behind after its comfortable win in the last round. Padova will try to disrupt the favourite home side as it stands just one point from the playoffs zone after its 3-0 home win over Piacenza. Baldovin’s men have taken points in each game of this second half of regular season.
The excitement of the European cup qualification was followed by shivers for Perugia as it was drawn with the giants of Dinamo Moscow. Beaten by the maximum margin in Trento last week, Kovac’s men are tied in fourth place with Verona. Fromm will try to get his 100th block in regular season against CMC Romagna, who’s coming off a home defeat against Monza. Kantor’s men therefore remained with 13 points, out of the playoffs zone.
Modena will defend its leadership again from Civitanova’s assault (one point behind). Modena dominated Ljubljana in the Champions Legaue and secured first place. The draw offered them a clash with Halkbank Ankara. In the last round, the leaders came back from Milan with a comfotable win and now they will host Monza, full of confidence following its four-set win on the road against CMC Romagna, worth a place in the top 8.
SuperLega UnipolSai round 15
Sunday 31 January at 6pm
Calzedonia Verona – Ninfa Latina Live on RAI Sport 1
Live streaming on www.raisport.rai.it
Exprivia Molfetta – Revivre Milano Live on Lega Volley Channel
LPR Piacenza – Diatec Trentino Live on Lega Volley Channel
Cucine Lube Banca Marche Civitanova – Tonazzo Padova Live on Lega Volley Channel
Sir Safety Conad Perugia – CMC Romagna Live on Lega Volley Channel
DHL Modena – Gi Group Monza Live on Lega Volley Channel
League table
DHL Modena 37, Cucine Lube Banca Marche Civitanova 36, Diatec Trentino 32, Sir Safety Conad Perugia 28, Calzedonia Verona 28, Exprivia Molfetta 20, Ninfa Latina 18, Gi Group Monza 15, Tonazzo Padova 14, CMC Romagna 13, LPR Piacenza 6, Revivre Milano 5
Calzedonia Verona – Ninfa Latina
PAST ENCOUNTERS: 23 (15-8 Verona)
Andrea Giani (coach Calzedonia Verona): “We’ll need to play excellent volleyball because Latina is a top quality team. If we want to win, we’ll need to play very well. We lost the last one at home against Molfetta at the tie-break, we need to win to keep chasing our goals. To win games, quality and a good attitude is required, this is what we need this weekend”.
Alen Sket (Ninfa Latina): “We know we’re up aagainst a very strong team on the serve, so we have to work hard on our reception in order to do well in attack. Like in every game, we have to be courageous and play hard to try to get something out of it”.
Exprivia Molfetta – Revivre Milano
PAST ENCOUNTERS: 3 (Molfetta won them all)
Fernando Hernandez Ramos (Exprivia Molfetta): “I am proud of this MVP award from the month of December but the whole team and club is proud too because we all give our best to reach good results. We can’t afford to lose our focus after the win over Verona. It’s not important where Milan stands in the table, they often make it hard for their oponent, they always try to take points. There will be a bigger crowd than usual this Sunday in Molfetta, which is good for us”.
Fabio Lini (Sport director Revivre Milano): “The team is in good shape, we have all been training well this week. We’re expecting everyone to contribute to take points from this trip to Molfetta. This is our minimum goal. We need to take points and win too. We expect the team to get better as it did already against Modena, even if that was not a game we could win. We have to give everything we’ve got and it’s crucial we take some points”.
PAST ENCOUNTERS: 47 (30-17 Trento)
Luca Tencati (LPR Piacenza): “We immediately put Monday’s game in Padova behind us. We did not play well, it should not have happened. On Sunday, we play host to trento, we know how strong is our opponent but we will play with a different attitude, with more fighting spirit and passion like we did against Macerata. We’ll try to play a better game and maybe snatch a little something from it”.
Tine Urnaut (Diatec Trentino): “It will be a special game and a tough one at the same time. I used to play in Piacenza, I remember our level was always up a notch at home. So it won’t be easy to get a result but fortunately our Champions League game was on Tuesday, so we had time to receover from the trip to Belgium and prepare this encounter”.
Cucine Lube Banca Marche Civitanova – Tonazzo Padova
PAST ENCOUNTERS: 38 (32-6 Civitanova)
Marko Podrascanin (Cucine Lube Banca Marche Civitanova): “We should not underestimate Padova. They have proved they were in great shape, they’ll be keen to battle for needed points to get in the playoffs. We want to try to go top, we’re just one point away so our goal will be the same as ever, give it our best shot, not give any chance to our opponent and obtain another victory in front of our supporters”.
Stefano Giannotti (Tonazzo Padova): “We’re coming off some positive results but we know that on Sunday we’ll be up against a superb team who aims for the league title. Our mission is to try to get points anyway and try to play our best volleyball to make it difficult for them”.
Sir Safety Conad Perugia – CMC Romagna
PAST ENCOUNTERS: 9 (7-2 Perugia)
Georgios Tzioumakas (Sir Safety Conad Perugia): “Tricky game for us on Sunday, we’ll need to be focused and play well. We need to find ourselves on court from the get-go in order to take three points and get back to winning. Ravenna is a tough opponent to manoeuvre, they can make it hard for anyone. We’ll really need maximum concentration. Another Greek derby? The last one against Djuric did not go well, I need to get on track against Koumentakis!”.
Andrea Bari (CMC Romagna): “Perugia is a stronger team than us, but I always say nothing is impossible in sport. We don’t have any pressure so we might be able to play loose. We’ll see what happens on court, hopefully they won’t be at their best. At times it happens to us, why not to them. Even if Perugia is a team built to reach important goals and they’ll be keen to bounce back from their defeat conceded in the last round, just like us”.
DHL Modena – Gi Group Monza
PAST ENCOUNTERS: 5 (Modena won all 5)
Andrea Sartoretti (GM DHL Modena): “We have already met Monza this season, and they proved they could make it difficult for us. We’ll need maximum focus and fighting spirit. I have great faith in my boys, they’ve been playing so many games, but always at a high level. We’ll have our fans on our side, they’ll be our extra man on court as usual”.
Andrea Galliani (Gi Group Monza): “We’re extremely motivated and eager to do well. The three games between league and cup played against Modena have all been exciting, both for the supporters and for us to play. We’re confident, especially after the three points taken in Forlì against CMC Romagna, a direct rival for the playoffs. Hopefully, we will further improve on certain aspects in this second half of season, and we have to start doing so in the difficult games like this one. Modena plays top quality volleyball, we’ll need to serve well to contain them, and keep a high level of play to avoid silly mistakes. That’s the only way to have a chance to make it a tight encounter like the other ones played against them this season”.
Vibo Valentia and Sora dominated the Italian Cup semi-finals in the Serie A2 and will play for the title on February 7. But in the meantime the focus is back on the league with Round 18 coming up.
Reggio Emilia has been doing it like the leaders of late with 6 wins in the last seven games. The club welcomes back the Cameroun international Arthur Kody as it will play its second consecutive home game on Saturday night after the 3-0 win over Mondovì, which was worth a place in the playoffs zone. Club Italia is the one coming over. Totire’s men obtained their sixth victory of the season in the derby against Civita Castellana at the tie-break. Third from bottom, they proved they could trouble anyone on the road too, testimony the away win in Castellana Grotte in the first return game.
Sunday’s lunch time game is Mondovì versus Alessano. Stuck with 19 points after two consecutive road games and the loss in Reggio Emilia at the end of a hard-fought encounter, Mondovì is considering making a move for a foreign player to strengthen the squad. They have rescinded the contract of Bertoli, who signed for Spoleto in the B1 division. They currently stand five points from the playoffs zone and want to go up the ranks, starting with a good result against Alessano, who is last from bottom with 17 points after its home tie-break loss against Tuscania. Alessano has yet to win away from home, only one point so far for the southerners on the road.
At 4 pm on Sunday, the current league runner-up, Sora, will take on Ortona, galvanised by its qualification into the cup final. Sora is coming off a 3-1 league win in Cantù. The visitors have been struggling with injuries and that has prevented them from enjoying the same kind of run as last season. The recent tie-break defeat at home against Castellana Grotte meant they slipped out of the playoffs zone. However, the arrival of Candian outside hitter Dallas Sonnias has given the club a boost.
Last weekend, Civita Castellana came back from the derby in Rome with one little point, and now they want to defend their third place with the help of Brazilian outside hitter Paulo Da Silva, who got back from injury and gave confidence to his team. Potenza Picena is the team threatening this third place as it stands just one point behind. Beaten in four sets in the house of the league leaders last week, Graziosi’s men have welcomed back outside hitter Federico Moretti in training as he recovered from his hand injury.
Castellana Grotte will meet up again with Vincenzo Tamburo, who had begun the season at the club before moving to Siena. The spiker is 19 spikes from the 3000 in the Serie A. The Apulia team is coming off a tie-break win away from home against Ortona, while Siena will try to bounce back from the cup semi-final exit in Vibo. Currently sixth, they had the better of Brescia in four sets at home in the last round. Roberto Braga is two points away from a thousand in the Serie A.
The dream of a cup final vanished in Sora but Tuscania will continue to battle with ambition in the regular season. Last Sunday, they took two points on the road in the heated atmosphere of Tricase. Fifth, a point behind Potenza, Tofoli’s men will take on Cantù, seventh but in need of oxygene after back to back losses in the league, the latest at home against Sora. More disappointment came in the cup quarter-finals, against Sora too.
Monday night’s game will be in Brescia, who has yet to win a game in this second half of regular season, the latest loss coming in Siena. Outside hitter Fabio Bisi still out, the most dangerous man in attack becomes Alberto Cisola, who’s 20 spikes from five thousand in the Serie A. Brescia will entertain Vibo Valentia, currently top of the league with 41 points after its 3-1 home win over Potenza Picena. They also qualified for the cup final by knocking out Siena in the semi-final. Without Antonio De Paola, the leaders will however have Forni back in the middle and they can always count on the league top scorer Peter Michalovic.
Serie A2 UnipolSai round 18
Saturday 30 January at 8.30pm
Conad Reggio Emilia – Club Italia Roma Live on Lega Volley Channel
(Sessolo-Montanari)
Sunday 31 January at noon
BAM Mondovì – Aurispa Alessano Live on Lega Volley Channel
(Giardini-Del Vecchio)
Sunday 31 January at 4pm
Globo Banca Pop. Frusinate Sora – Sieco Service Ortona Live on Lega Volley Channel
(Rolla-De Simeis)
Sunday 31 January at 6pm
Globo Scarabeo Civita Castellana – Potenza Picena Live on Lega Volley Channel
(Marotta-Nicolazzo)
Materdominivolley.it Castellana Grotte – Emma Villas Siena Live on Lega Volley Channel
(Carcione-Di Blasi)
Maury’s Italiana Assicurazioni Tuscania – Cassa Rurale Cantù Live on Lega Volley Channel
(Merli-Saltalippi L.)
Monday 11 February at 8.30pm
Centrale del Latte McDonald’s Brescia – Tonno Callipo Calabria Vibo Valentia Live on Lega Volley Channel
(Pozzi-Fretta)
League table
Tonno Callipo Calabria Vibo Valentia 41, Globo Banca Pop. Frusinate Sora 39, Globo Scarabeo Civita Castellana 31, Potenza Picena 30, Maury’s Italiana Assicurazioni Tuscania 29, Emma Villas Siena 28, Cassa Rurale Cantù 26, Conad Reggio Emilia 24, Sieco Service Ortona 23, Materdominivolley.it Castellana Grotte 20, BAM Mondovì 19, Club Italia Roma 18, Aurispa Alessano 17, Centrale del Latte McDonald’s Brescia 12
