Three years on, the Del Monte® Italian Cup SuperLega Final and the Serie A2 cup final is back in Assago. And all of these games will be inserted into this spectacular Volley Land event, back after seven years of absence. The 11th edition of this celebration of volleyball will be packed with exciting fixtures. Among them, there will also be a women’s game of the Master Group Sport Volley Cup between Club Italia and Metalleghe Sanitars Montichiari.
The event will be followed all around the world, with live or near-live broadcasting from Bein Sport (Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, EAU, Yemen, Algeria, Chad, Egypt, Libya, Djibouti, Mauritania, Morocco, Somalia, Sudan and Tunisia), Sportklub (Serbia, Kosovo, Croatia, Bosnia Herzegovina, Slovenia, Macedonia, Montenegro), Sportklub Poland (Poland), Sport Tv (Turkey), Bein Sport France (France, Monaco, Andorra, Mauritius and Madagascar), beIN Sport USA (USA and Canada), Band Sport (Brazil), Sport 5 (Israel), Channel 11 (Belgium), Romtelecom (Romania), OTE (Greece), Cyta (Cyprus), IMG (world streaming for betting). Differed on Asahi TV (Japan).
Fixtures:
Del Monte® Volley Land 2016
Mediolanum Forum – Assago (MI)
Saturday 6 and Sunday 7 February
Opening time: 9am
Del Monte® Italian Cup SuperLega – Final Four
Saturday 6 February at 3am
1st semi-final
Modena – Perugia
Saturday 6 February at 5.30pm
2nd semi-final
Civitanova – Trento
Saturday 6 February at 8.30pm (Women Serie A)
Club Italia – Metalleghe Sanitars Montichiari
Sunday 7 February at 2pm
Final Del Monte® Italian Cup Serie A2
Globo Banca Popolare del Frusinate Sora – Tonno Callipo Calabria Vibo Valentia Live on Sport 1 (ch 61) and Lega Volley Channel
Sunday 7 February at 5.30pm
Final Del Monte® Italian Cup SuperLega Live on RAI Sport
ONE DAY TICKETS
From 10 to 35 Euros
TWO DAY TICKETS
From 15 to 50 Euros
-On line: www.bookingshow.it
Del Monte® Italian Cup SuperLega Final Four
DHL Modena – Sir Safety Conad Perugia
Modena enters this final four in pursuit of a double, in the hunt of a 12th triumph. Last year they became the kings of the competition after 17 years without success. Currently top of the table, Modena had to work hard to dispose of Monza in the quarter-finals. Monza had got back from 2-0 down to force a tie-break in the first leg, eventually snatched 15-13 by Modena, who then took the return leg 3-1. Lorenzetti’s men will take on Perugia for the first time ever in the cup. Perugia made their way into their third final four in history by knocking out Verona. They will try to make the upset to qualify for its second final after the one lost in 2014 against Piacenza. In the league, Modena had the better of Perugia 3-1 in a very tight encounter.
PAST ENCOUNTERS:7 (4-3 Perugia)
Modena in the Cup: 11 trophies: 2014-2015 vs Diatec Trentino, 1997–1998 vs Alpitour Traco Cuneo, 1996–1997 vs Alpitour Traco Cuneo, 1994–1995 vs Sisley Treviso, 1993–1994 vs Maxicono Parma, 1988–1989 vs Sisley Treviso, 1987–1988 vs Camst Bologna, 1985–1986 (group winner) 1984–1985 (group winner), 1979–1980 (group winner), 1978-1979 (Group winner).
Perugia in the cup: Reached the final in 2013-14, beaten by Piacenza.
Angelo Lorenzetti (Coach DHL Modena): “It’s all been a rush this season, and lately very much so. This is the good and bad of a very tough league. We’re hoping to do well but we know we’re in it with the very bests who are ready for this beautiful important event. Many fans will be there, it will be special to play this game with so many of them painting the crowd in yellow and blue. Volley Land is a great event, I have already taken part in it, a special moment in which people gather. It’s good for our sport”.
Boban Kovac (Coach Sir Safety Conad Perugia): “Modena is a top level team built to win everything in Italy and Europe, but the semi-final is just one game, anything can happen. We really wanted to make it into this final four and we played very well in the quarters against Verona. We must and can win again, we have top quality stars. The important thing will be to face this game with positive energy and good spirit. We’ll go to Milan to win the trophy. Then we’ll just see what happens on court”.
Civitanova and Trento will fight it out for a 47th time in what should be another emotional game. It’s second versus third in the SuperLega. They also met three times in the cup, twice in the final, in 2012 and 2013, both won by Trento. The last time Civitanova lift the cup aloft was in 2009 at the expense of Cuneo. Assago brings good memories to Trento, where they won it in 2013, that was their third in history. In the last two editions, the Italian Champions lost in the semis 2014 against Piacenza, and in last year’s final against Modena. Stoytchev’s men will try to repeat the result they obtained in the league against Civitanova: a 3-2 win coming back from 2-0 down.
PAST ENCOUNTERS: 46 (27-19 Trento)
Civitanova in the cup: 4 trophies: 2008–2009 versus Bre Banca Lannutti Cuneo, 2007–2008 vs M. Roma Volley, 2002–2003 vs Sisley Treviso, 2000–2001 vs Sisley Treviso.
Trento in the cup: 3 trophies: 2012-2013 and 2011-2012 vs la Lube Banca Marche Macerata, 2009-2010 vs Bre Banca Lannutti Cuneo.
Gianlorenzo Blengini (coach Cucine Lube Banca Marche Civitanova): “The four semi-finalists are among the five the experts expected to be here. The tightest quarter-final has been the one between Perugia and Verona. As for our semi-final against Trento, we know it will be very difficult. We’re up against a team that plays very well and already beat us in the league, in a game decided on details in the tie-break. Sunday’s game will be the opportunity to take revenge. To beat Trento we’ll need our absolute best. The games we wanted are coming up, the decisive ones, the ones for which we’ve been training from the start and we know that’s the time to bring your highest level”.
Radostin Stoytchev (coach Diatec Trentino): “Being one of the four teams fighting for the title is already a splendid starting point. And we couldn’t take our participation for granted because a top team like Verona stayed out. But we don’t limit ourselves to be present at the Mediolanum forum. We have an opportunity to understand where we stand compared to the bests of our league and we’ll give everything we have, without fear. We’ll be up against an extremely strong opponent. Civitanova is ahead of us in the league table, and they proved they were ahead of us in many different area of the game. The win we obtained in Trento does not matter, we had had our fair share of luck. We know how strong they are, but we will give everything we’ve got”.
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
The big final is getting closer. Sora and Vibo Valentia have been dominating the league and are currently tied at the top with 42 points. And now they will battle it out for the trophy.
Sora has had six splendid seasons in the Serie A2 but has not been particularly fortunate in the cup, being knocked out three times in the quarters and three times in the semi-finals. On the way to their first final, they got rid of Cantù at the tie-break and Tuscania 3-1. The toughest task comes now but the league come-back win on January 3, which got them the winter champ title in the last round, will give them good hope. They caught up with Vibo at the top in the last round when they swept Ortona at home, while Vibo stumbled in Brescia. Sora won three of four meetings against Vibo but the only loss came in the cup, in last year’s quarter-finals.
The holder, Vibo Valentia, will try to make it two in a row by winning their third cup in history. That would make it the most successful team in the history of the competition. Nobody won it twice in a row in the past. Vibo won it in 2003 against Lamezia Terme and last season against Potenza Picena. Two 3-1 wins over Ortona and Siena is what brought Vibo to this final. And that will be the 5th final in six participations. In its history, Vibo can also boasts seven participations in the Serie A1 cup, with the final lost against Treviso in 2005. If Cristian Casoli takes part, the spiker born in 1975 will be the oldest to play a final. He will try to win it again after the final lost last year against his current club.
Globo Banca Popolare del Frusinate Sora – Tonno Callipo Calabria Vibo Valentia
PAST ENCOUNTERS: 4 (3-1 Sora)
Sora in the cup: 3 semi-finals, 2013/14 (vs Tonazzo Padova), 2012/13 (vs Sidigas HS Atripalda), 2010/11 (vs Marcegaglia CMC Ravenna),
Vibo Valentia in the cup: 2 Trophies in the A2, 2014-2015 vs B-Chem Potenza Picena, 2002-2003 vs la Raffaele Lamezia. 1 final in the A1: 2004-2005 (vs Sisley Treviso).
Fabio Soli (coach Globo Banca Popolare del Frusinate Sora): “Here is the most important event of the season. Making it in the final was our target ever since we made our first moves on the market in the summer. And we showed how much we wanted it after the last point of the semi-final against Tuscania. You could see in the eyes of everybody how much it meant. But this achievement is not our final goal, because now we’re in Milan we want to fight for it. This is what the club deserves for all the efforts made for years, both socially and financially. The great celebrations, the kind words, the accolades continue to flow in, and that makes us understand how much the city is proud of what we have done and what we could achieve. We will go to Milan to play our best volleyball. The group is confident, we’re mentally and physically ready. We can’t wait to take part in this competition, which was inserted into a wonderful and prestigious event, and being there in the middle of it all will surely bring us even more will to write the name of Sora among the winners of the competition”.
Vincenzo Mastrangelo (coach Tonno Callipo Calabria Vibo Valentia): “We have reached our first goal of the season and now we’ll play for the title against a top team like Sora, who’s tied on top of the league with us. This is therefore the best possible final between the teams that have played the best until now. The psychological aspect will be important because on one single game anything can happen. Regardless of Monday’s game against Brescia, the boys are extremely motivated for this final. Sora has not been kind to me so far, in the seven games played (league regular season and playoffs) as a coach against them, I have always lost”.
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
