An ErmGroup San Giustino “not received”, that of the “Allende” altarpiece in Fano. Or rather, capable of fighting in the first set, but then exiting the scene in the other two. The 0-3 had however kept the fourth place in suspense until OmiFer Palmi closed the fourth set at 27-25 in the match against Avimecc Modica. “We returned from Fano with a zero in the points table and this – we knew it from the start – could have concretely changed ErmGroup’s position in the standings on the last day of the regular season in the Blue Group of the Serie A3 Credem Banca championship ”. The considerations of the biancazzurri sporting director, Valdemaro Gustinelli, start precisely from this aspect: “There is deep regret among the boys – he states – and for more than four months our position has fluctuated between second, third and fourth place. Finding yourself finally on the fifth step is objectively frustrating. Having said this, there is very little to regret: the performance offered by the team last Sunday was completely insufficient. We were inferior to our opponents in all fundamentals and this in our sport inevitably leads to a single result; if we add to this a colorless performance also from the point of view of mental attitude, here are the fruits! We came out of the game at 21-22 in the first set: we had the ball in our hands at 22 all and, despite not playing high-level volleyball, we were there. Then nothingness, a slow but inevitable “massacre”!”. Disappointment shines through in Gustinelli’s words. “No, disappointment is not the right term: having experienced these situations, for more than a month I was telling the guys that in the end the public would remember how we finished and not how we got to this point; it is undeniable that the team, as is normal, showed a decline once it had the mathematical certainty of qualifying for the play-offs in hand. We were convinced that we could play our game but credit must be given to Fano, who played an impeccable performance in every fundamental, with a remarkable break phase; stop and wall were enough to demolish any tenuous hope.” Is there another aspect to highlight? “Yes, I asked the boys to play a strong match, also and above all for our fans; at the “Allende” stadium there were 121 spectators from San Giustino and this was a splendid result, which repaid the club for every sacrifice.
