Negrini CTE Acqui Terme is ready to face its toughest away trip of the season.
Their only chance of advancing to the Serie A3 playoff final would be to win four sets in Reggio Calabria in front of a packed PalaCalafiore stadium.
In Valenza, in the first leg, Domotek Reggio Calabria won with a perfect score, not dropping a single set to the Acqui Terme team. Thus, they are forced to attempt a real feat. They would need to win three sets and the additional golden set in the event of a draw in front of 5,000 local fans, at the home of a team that has already won the Coppa Italia and the Supercoppa di Categoria this season and nearly achieved promotion to Serie A2.
For Acqui coach Simone Serafini, there’s no doubt that Pallavolo La Bollente will give it their all until the end: “It’s not over until it’s over. It may sound like a cliché, but we truly believe it: for two sets, we’ve shown that we’re not far from their level. They may have the home court advantage and the psychological advantage, but in a playoff semifinal, everything disappears once you step onto the court. Numerically, we know what it takes: to win 3-0 or 3-1 and then play it all in the Golden Set. We’ll go there to play one ball at a time, looking at our court and trying to play the best volleyball possible. We have our weapons, and we’ll go and play them without regrets. If they’re better, we’ll shake their hand, but our intention is to fight until the last point.”
