He’s become so familiar with the Credem Banca Serie A3 championship that his growth has been evident. Mirco Compagnoni, middle blocker for ErmGroup Altotevere, needed a season as a starter after his otherwise positive experience with Cuneo, which saw him promoted to the SuperLega, but without being a key player in the starting 6+1. Today, the 23-year-old Lombard is a key player in Marco Bartolini’s team and, along with Augusto Quarta, forms one of the strongest center pairings in the entire division. In the 3-2 victory over Belluno, which gave Altotevere the victory in the first leg of the playoff semifinal, Compagnoni obviously had his say, and he offers his take on the match’s outcome: “It was a very complex match,” he says, “because when you have a strong opponent in front of you, that’s inevitably the case. We played a lot on the fact that they had more to lose, while we were more relaxed, as we promised ourselves we would be. Therefore, since Belluno was the team to beat, it was easier for us, even if we had to sweat it out on the court, as you can see from the comeback we suffered from 2-0 down.” And perhaps, in the first two sets, the Venetians were a little more conditioned by their status as the favorite team and therefore by a sort of obligation to win. “Certainly,” Compagnoni emphasizes, “they had greater responsibility: the club has invested a lot and therefore expects its commitment to be rewarded by results. But be careful: this consideration only further increases the difficulty of Friday’s match, so we must not make calculations, but focus only on winning. Nothing can be taken for granted and we must start at a fast pace.” Having overcome Belluno could, however, also create some extra responsibility for Altotevere, who know they can compete, and therefore this could partially undermine the team’s composure. “I hope not,” replies Compagnoni, “and I hope our attitude remains unchanged. For my part, nothing changes and I believe my teammates agree with me.” As for the probability of advancing to the final, his answer is elusive: “We have a zero percent chance, but only because I’m superstitious.”
