The long wait is over. Two years after their last participation, Alva Inox 2 Emme Service Porto Viro is ready to return to the stage of the Credem Banca Serie A2 Playoffs. On Sunday, April 12th, at 6:30 PM, the black-and-fuchsia team will host Abba Pineto for Game 1 of the Quarterfinals. Game 2 will be played on Wednesday, April 15th (8:30 PM) in Porto Viro, while the possible Game 3 is scheduled for Sunday, April 19th (6:30 PM), again in Abruzzo.
Flying and dreaming lightly: this is the spirit that will accompany Matteo Bologna’s team in their postseason adventure. After a very challenging first half of the season, almost no one would have bet that the Polesine team would manage to finish among the top eight teams in the league.
On the eve of Game 1, Alva Inox 2 Emme Service middle blocker Alex Erati analyzed the match: “We’re approaching this series and these playoffs without the pressure of having to win. We deserved to continue our season, now we’re going to Pineto with the intention of making things difficult for our opponents and showing our best volleyball. Abba is proving to be the league’s most in-form team, especially in key matches. I believe their greatest strength is their ability to manage the pace of the game and capitalize on the moments of competitive excitement they create during matches: the Super Cup was a perfect example of this. There’s not just one key aspect where it’s their overall game system that is top-notch. And that’s where they’ll find themselves struggling.”
Porto Viro will try to repeat, and if possible improve, the performance from their last visit to PalaVolley Santa Maria: “When we went to Pineto, we were able to express ourselves at our best for the first time,” Erati continued. “The next step will certainly be having the patience to endure their moments of euphoria and remain clear-headed, without losing focus or letting them run away in sets. It will be an emotionally tough challenge. In recent years, however, one of the top four teams in the Regular Season has often been unexpectedly eliminated in the first round of the playoffs. We hope to be the ones to continue this trend.”
