The two-week wait is essentially over. Now the court will speak again, and it will do so at 6:00 PM on Saturday, April 25th, at the San Giustino sports hall, where ErmGroup Altotevere and Belluno will meet for the third time in less than four months. The match’s history has so far favored Belluno seven times out of seven, and now the match is for a spot in the Credem Banca Serie A3 playoff final, which will decide who will join Conad Reggio Emilia on their journey to Serie A2. The first round won’t be decisive, as the return leg at the VHV Arena will still take place on May 1st, but it’s clear that it will still be indicative. The rumor has been used several times in recent days, hoping to overturn it, but it’s clear that only the pitch will truly determine the outcome. “There’s undoubtedly a healthy desire for revenge, given that results against Belluno have never been positive for us,” says white-and-blue spiker Matteo Alpini. “But we deservedly reached this point in the season, and the team, after a poor run from early January to mid-February, is steadily improving: they also demonstrated this during the playoffs. We know we have our cards up our sleeve, we’ve prepared meticulously, and so we’re positive, even though we know we’re facing a very strong opponent.” Serenity remains the watchword, even if it’s not easy to find the key to putting the Venetians on the ropes. “I don’t know,” Alpini replies. “Perhaps there is a key: the way I see it, we need to play with aplomb and be confident in our abilities. Both we and Belluno are here, so the forces at play aren’t all that different.”
