The Under 19 team of the Kioene Pallavolo Padova Academy closes its journey in the Del Monte Junior League with seventh place and a significant victory against Cucine Lube Civitanova, which came at the end of a hard-fought final for 7th/8th place. The success in the tie-break allows the black and white Under 19 team to end the season with a smile, crowning a challenging journey but full of ideas for growth.
“We took to the field with the idea of competing with the best of the Italian Under 20 scene,” said coach Giorgio Sabbandin. “Compared to what we faced during the season, we were aware that the level would rise significantly, especially in terms of physicality. We had identified the serve as a key fundamental to be able to compete, and so it was. We met teams that, thanks to quality, build their game very well.”
In the initial round, the defeat against Modena complicated the ambitions of accessing the semifinals. “After the first match against Modena, we knew that advancing to the semifinals would be difficult. In fact, only the first of each group advanced, plus the best second, and even with a clear 3-0 victory we would have needed favorable results from the other fields. In the end, even though we were unable to prevail, our opponents were unable to access the semifinals either. In the match against Modena, in the fourth set we were unable to capitalize on some situations that cost us dearly, and the match ended 3-1.
