A real match was needed. One to experience and interpret not only with technique, but with character. Belluno Volley defeated Gabbiano FarmaMed Mantova in a tiebreaker and secured a spot in the semifinals of the Credem Banca Serie A3 playoffs, at the end of an intense, hard-fought, and at times challenging match. But for that very reason, it was all the more significant.
TOUGH MATCH – The next day tells of a team that knew how to endure. And stay together. Even when the game wasn’t flowing as expected, even when something jammed. Francesco Corrado, one of the key players in the double-header, captured the evening perfectly: after scoring 20 points in the first leg in Mantova, he scored another 14 in the return leg, with an ace and two blocks. “It was a tough match, but that was to be expected. From now on, all matches will be “do-or-die,” and, consequently, we should expect any team to reach the VHV Arena with nothing to lose.”
DIESEL – The context is that of the playoffs, where every little thing can shift the balance and every opponent plays without reserve. Belluno Volley understood this early, despite a difficult start: “We had a ‘diesel’ start, but we rekindled our momentum. It’s a shame about the third set, where we managed to perfect the comeback and tie the game at 24, but then an incident in deuce penalized us. In any case, we did well to regain control in the fourth set. Overall, we were a bit tense and made a few too many errors on serve. But we put our heart and soul into it.”
ABSORBING THE BLOW – That’s where the maturity of a team is measured. In the ability to absorb a blow and bounce back immediately: “We suffered together, and that’s the most important thing. On a night where not everything worked out for us—think of our blocking and defense, for example—we always remained united in the important moments.”
