The countdown to the Credem Banca SuperLega Championship Final is on. On Thursday, April 30th, at 8:30 PM at the Pala Barton Energy in Pian di Massiano, Cucine Lube Civitanova will visit Sir Susa Scai Perugia for Game 1. For the sixth time in history, Cucine Lube and Block Devils will face off in a showdown for the Italian title. It’s a sporting rivalry that grows year after year between two clubs that often find themselves at the net in the most important matches. Lube and Sir are now cat and dog, holy water and devil, instinct and rationality, day and night. Two perpetually opposing teams that want to prevail over each other.
Both rosters feature only one former player, the unwavering red and white center Marko Podrascanin, who managed to find a balance by winning title after title with both teams before achieving further success in Trento and then returning to the Marche region, following his heart. A record holder in blocks and one of the most prolific centers ever in the SuperLega, Potke is 38 years old and isn’t content to be a point of reference for Lube’s young talents; he wants to do what he does best: be a protagonist on the pitch and, hopefully, win.
Marko Podrascanin (middle hitter Cucine Lube Civitanova): “Playing in a Scudetto final is always special, but facing off as former Block Devils players in a series between two teams that have written the recent history of Italian volleyball is nothing short of captivating. The entire volleyball world can’t wait to watch these matches, but I can’t wait to play them after a hiatus that disrupted our rhythm. In the playoffs, we played some of our best matches of the season.
I always try to give my best and put my experience to work for our great talents. The group is in high spirits, and I must say that the relationship with my teammates is a mutual exchange because you never stop learning and you grow together after every practice, regardless of your nationality. Playing for this Lube team makes me feel younger, and I feel great.
That said, Perugia is the team to beat, we know it. We got this far thanks to hard work and a turnaround in the second phase. We want to overturn the home-court advantage and win the Scudetto. We have some very tough matches ahead of us, but we don’t feel any pressure. In short, we’ll try to achieve this feat while having fun.”
