Third joint training session for Pool Libertas Cantù, and for the first time in this pre-season they face an opponent of the same category, Conad Reggio Emilia, winning 3-1.
Coach Francesco Denora Caporusso starts with Matteo Pedron as setter, Kristian Gamba as opposite, Lorenzo Magliano and Giuseppe Ottaviani as spikers, Dario Monguzzi and Jonas Aguenier as central defenders, and Matteo Picchio as libero. During the joint training the Cantù coach tested almost all the players at his disposal, obtaining good responses from everyone.
The start of the first set is balanced, then Pool Libertas extends (10-13, 12-17, 14-20); in the final Conad recovers (20-23), but is unable to overtake: it closes an error by Guerrini (21-25). The second set also begins with the teams in balance, then Cantù raises the wall and goes away (5-9, 6-11); Reggio Emilia comes back and equalizes at 13 points; the Cantù players try to escape again (13-16, 14-18, 16-23), and the escape ends with an attack by Gamba (19-25). In the third set the guests immediately started strong (0-4, 4-9, 6-12); the Reggio team nibble on a few points (9-12); the Lombards resume their game (11-17, 13-18, 15-22); the hosts recover at the end (19-24), but a service error by Gasparini ends everything (19-25). In the fourth set Conad takes the lead (6-3, 13-8); Pool Libertas fights but fails to mend the rift; closes an attack by Volpe (25-19).
“There were important indications – comments Coach Francesco Denora Caporusso –. This was our first match against a Serie A2 team, and we tried to make the most of it. We have a somewhat short blanket, and in some situations we have to be good at lengthening it: when we concentrated on improving some aspects, we neglected others; when we fixed seconds, they made thirds worse, and so on. We therefore have to work in this verse. It’s a shame about the fourth set, in which we made some youthful mistakes, but we shouldn’t have let go of our enthusiasm.”
