Itas Trentino still on top of Superleague, Padova ko
The Itas Trentino men’s team treats itself to a Christmas as the leader in SuperLega Credem Banca 2025/26. In the opening round of the return round, the last one before December 25, the Italian champion lineup in fact conquered the Kioene Arena in Padua, confirming the first place in the standings that it had conquered the previous weekend by overcoming both Verona and Perugia in a sprint. The 3-0 taken this evening on Sonepar’s court is beyond precious because it allows them to gain a one-point margin over Verona (Saturday night to score in the tie break in Piacenza) and brings to nine the consecutive victories of the yellow-blues between the league and Champions, further certifying the good moment of form.
Mendez’s team had an excellent impact on the match, immediately taking the reins of the game in their hands with attack and serve, and then managed to contain the hosts’ comeback attempt, which between the second and third sets tried to reopen the match without succeeding, however. Credit to a yellow-blue lineup that was very concrete at the net, as it was excellently directed at the helm by Sbertoli (mvp for leading the team to a final 56%), and incisive at the wall and on serve when the scoring situation called for it. Faure (best scorer with 18 points with 80 percent on offense and two blocks), Michieletto (13) and Ramon (12) were effective at break point, leading their teammates to victory number seven 3-0 out of twelve games played in the regular season.
Match report. Itas Trentino took the court at the Kioene Arena with the classic starting lineup: Sbertoli at director, Faure opposite, Michieletto and Ramon at the band, Bartha and Flavio at center, Laurenzano libero. Sonepar responds with Todorovic at setter, Masulovic opposite, Orioli and Gardini setters, Truocchio and Polo center, Diez libero. The initial balance (3-3) is broken by Michieletto’s service rotation, which produces a simple slash to Ramon and an error at the net by Masulovic (5-3); Padova ties the score at 6 with a wall by Gardini, but Trento immediately restarts (8-6 and 11-8) thanks to the Michieletto-Ramon pair. After Cuttini’s time out, it’s still the Gialloblù’s treble at break point: Alessandro walls Masulovic and Flavio scores on serve for the maximum lead (13-8); in the middle part, Itas Trentino manages well the ball change until 18-13 and then stretches again with an ace by Ramon (19-13). The 1-0 outside lead comes quickly, as early as 25-17, because the place-4 pair is particularly inspired and because newcomer Gabi Garcia also adds to the scoreboard with the point that closes the partial.
The second partial opens with a score of 25-17.
The second partial opens again in the sign of point-to-point (3-3 and 6-6), a situation that continues in the central part (10-10 and 13-13), with the two teams taking turns in commanding operations. It is Michieletto who leads the Gialloblù spurt (17-14), which comes with Ramon in the hitting zone; Trento travels fast until 20-17, before suffering Polo’s block (on Bartha) and committing the error at the net with Gabi Garcia just entering the court. At 20-19, Mendez spent the first time out, but after that the Yellow-blues held on to the ball change until 23-21; Ramon made the ace that made it 24-21, but the Italian champions had to wait until 25-23 (attack by Michieletto) to take a 2-0 lead.
Sonepar suffers the blow and after the change of court comes back a bit unloaded; Trento takes advantage of this to run away immediately (4-1), but later has to go back to fighting on point-to-point (7-7) because Masulovic goes wild at the net. It is Michieletto (counterattack) and Faure (wall on Orioli) who bring the yellow-blues back ahead (12-10); it is not the decisive cue, because Gardini keeps his team in the slipstream until 17-16, then it is Masulovic’s errors that project Itas Trentino on +3 (21-18). It is the break that decides the match, because then Ramon closes the accounts already on 25-20.
