Fifth in the regular season, Sir Safety Conad Perugia sent a message in the opening game of the playoffs semi-finals in Civitanova. Trailed 1-0, Kovac’s men turned things around and clinched the game at the end of a tight tie-break finished on the minimum margin. But those two points were worth a huge win that came behind an inspired performance from Aleksandar Atanasijevic, who scored 30 points at 64% (3 aces, 2 blocks). A record crowd all dressed in a choreographic white is expected in the PalaEvangelisti arena, where Civitanova needs a win in order not to ruin the spectacular regular season run that led them to first place. Blengini’s men will try to bounce back from the upset that shocked the 3759 supporters that went to the game. The team that is about to play in the Champions league final four was effective on the serve and reception but it was beaten by a more accurate attack from Perugia. Still, the hard-fought tie-break is the typical sign of a game decided on a couple of episodes.
The third force of the regular season, Trento, was defeated 3-1 in semi-final Game 1 in Modena, team that had already caused heartache in the Italian SuperCup and Italian Cup final. Beaten at home in the second regular season game, Modena took revenge in this opening game behind some good serving (10 aces versus 1 for Stoytchev’s men). The French Earvin Ngapeth was the star man and top scorer on the night with 23 points, among which 5 aces. Even if they were not as dominant as in the Italian Cup final, the Modena players still dictated their rhythm in the third and fourth sets as they hurt Trento’s confidence with one serve after another. Still, Lorenzetti’s men will need their best volleyball because Trento has rarely lost home in recent years. In regular season, Modena had been close from the upset, going 2-1 up before surrendering at the tie-break.
League playoffs, semi-finals Game 2
Tuesday 12 April at 8.15pm
Sir Safety Conad Perugia – Cucine Lube Banca Marche Civitanova Live on RAI Sport 1
Live streaming on www.raisport.rai.it
Tuesday 12 April at 8.30pm
Diatec Trentino – DHL Modena Live on Lega Volley Channel
Game 3
Thursday 21 April at 8.30pm (One live game on RAI Sport, the other one live on Lega Volley Channel)
Cucine Lube Banca Marche Civitanova – Sir Safety Conad Perugia
DHL Modena – Diatec Trentino
Past encounters: 14 (10-4 Civitanova)
This season: 2 games: Civitanova won both, 3-0 away then 3-1 home
In the playoffs: 5 games in the playoffs: 4 in the final (3-1 Civitanova), once in semi-finals (Perugia won it).
Alessandro Fei (Cucine Lube Banca Marche Civitanova): “Game 2 will be another battle, we’ve seen that Perugia plays loose and without fear, they also find solutions when they are in difficulty. We have to stay in the game like they did in Game 1, playing our game without fear. It’s only with determination and maximum focus that we can obtain the result we need to tie this semi-final series”.
Fabio Fanuli (Sir Safety Conad Perugia): “The result we got in Game 1 is crucial, this means we now have the court advantage. But I think this counts only relatively, we’ve seen that in the series against Verona. It would be a mistake to give it more importance that it has, especially against an opponent like Civitanova who has always beaten us in our gym in the past two years. The most encouraging thing from the opening game is our stats in attack, that’s a good sign, that means we’re working well and that the flow of our game is improving. Tomorrow, it will be a typical playoffs game, another battle, it’s always a battle for us, nothing can ever be taken for granted. Like on Saturday, everything can go down to a couple of plays. The difference is that we’ll have the fans on our side. When the gym is packed, it makes a difference. You really feel the support of the fans and that’s a great feeling. Hopefully, they’ll come in numbers to give us a hand tomorrow night!”.
Past encounters: 59 (35-24 Trento)
This season: 4 games: Trento won both regular season games on a 3-2 score, first home then away. Modena won the Italian Cup final 3-0 and the SuperCup 3-2.
In the playoffs: 22 games: 12 in the quarters (6 wins each), 6 in the semi-finals (3 each), 4 in the final (3-1 Trento).
Sebastian Solé (Diatec Trentino): “We have to build on the first two sets played in Game 1, though it’s obvious that the analysis of the whole game will tell us where we have to improve. We’ll need to play with determination, we’ll need to stay close because we’ve seen that when they create a little gap it’s tough to stop them because they become galvanised”.
Andrea Sartoretti (GM DHL Modena): “Winning the first one home was important, extremely important, but it’s obvious that against Trento you can never lower your guards, not even for one second. The boys are motivated and focused, they know it will be a difficult game against a great team, and they’ll have the fans pushing for them. Composure in the important moment of the game will be key, but we’re ready for this game”.
