SuperLega UnipolSai round 20
Gi Group Monza – Kioene Padova 3-1 (25-17, 25-19, 19-25, 28-26)
Gi Group Monza – Kioene Padova 3-1 (25-17, 25-19, 19-25, 28-26)
Gi Group Monza: Jovovic 1, Botto 12, Beretta 9, Hirsch 13, Fromm 19, Verhees 8, Brunetti (L), Rizzo (L), Daldello 0, Dzavoronok 1, Vissotto Neves 4, Terpin 0. DNP. Galliani. Coach. Falasca.
Kioene Padova: Shaw 1, Maar 20, Averill 11, Giannotti 12, Milan 2, Volpato 5, Bassanello (L), Balaso (L), Fedrizzi 8, Zoppellari 0, Koncilja 0. DNP. Link, Sestan. Coach. Baldovin.
Monza found its best form in the Friday night game to take three valuable points against Padova. Among the crowd to witness Monza’s tenth victory of the season there was also former Manchester United midfielder Park Ji-Sung. The hosts played some excellent volleyball in the first two sets with Rizzo and Botto shining in reception and a good distribution from Jovovic. Fromm and Hirsch took care of adding the scoring touch (19 and 13 respectively in the end). The middle blockers Verhees and Beretta were solid too, they combined for 17 points and 5 blocks, while there was a good impact from Vissotto on his debut with his new club (4 points and a lot of work blocking at the net). Padova showed character in the third with some individual prowess from Averill, Maar and Giannotti well served by Shaw who had moments of brilliance. The fourth set was tight all the way until Monza found two aces from Botto but Maar and Giannotti rebelled themselves and tied it. Then MVP Fromm and Botto showed all the determination needed to seal it 28-26.
Simon Hirsch (Gi Group Monza): “Tonight we played with determination and fighting spirit, which we had not done against Latina. I think the key moment was the beginning, we got off to a convincing start, leaving behind some of our poor performances. We regained confidence in our game and Padova found it hard. They reacted well in the third and they made it hard for us in the fourth but we kept a high intensity on the serve and imposed ourselves in the blocking. This is a crucial win that will give us a lift and some confidence ».
Valerio Baldovin (coach Kioene Padova): “We were close to the tie-break but unfortunately we go home empty handed. We started off making too many mistakes and that cost us dear. I feel like we’re starting to play at a good level again but it’s not enough. We have to keep working with intensity and play the games without fear, this is the only way to take points ».
League table
Cucine Lube Civitanova 50, Sir Safety Conad Perugia 46, Diatec Trentino 44, Azimut Modena 43, Calzedonia Verona 37, Gi Group Monza 31, LPR Piacenza 30, Tonno Callipo Calabria Vibo Valentia 24, Exprivia Molfetta 20, Bunge Ravenna 20, Top Volley Latina 18, Kioene Padova 14, Revivre Milano 13, Biosì Indexa Sora 12
1 more game: Gi Group Monza, Kioene Padova
