Men’s Italvolleyball, first test match win

Italy-Serbia 3-2

Good season debut for the Men’s National Team that in the first test match of 2024 beat Serbia on tie-break at the end of a beautiful, long and hard-fought match at the end of which Giannelli and teammates showed good things. De Giorgi chose from the start the “usual” lineup with Giannelli-Roman&ograve diagonal, Michieletto and Lavia setters, Russo and Galassi center with Balaso free.

Serbia lined up with Todorovic on setter, Atanasijevic opposite, Kujundzic and Peric setters, Krsmanovic and Masulovic center with Kapur free. The first set è was basically balanced with the Azzurri leading for long stretches until they found themselves on +2 in the closing stages (23-21); when forò the situation seemed to be routed, the Serbs first tied the situation on 23-23 and then placed the decisive break that decreed the 1-0 in their favor on 25-23.

Incredible the’trend of the second partial ended 33-31 in favor of the Italians after, per’a very long head-to-head that characterized the final phase of a set that seemed to be a repetition of the first. On 23-21, in fact, Giannelli let themselves recover on 23-23 and then failed a first set ball. The Serbs, for their part, never gave up and five times served to take a 2-0 lead. Having grabbed parity at 31-31, De Giorgi’s boys found the mental strength to deservedly close the set in their favor.

In the third set, CT De Giorgi made his first change by inserting Rinaldi in place of Lavia at the start; as the minutes passed and with Serbia ahead, space also for Luca Porro who thus made his debut in the blue jersey; while Serbia then continued to manage the situation in their own advantage, Alessandro Bovolenta replaced Yuri Romanò. Despite the changes forò the’inertia of the partial did not è change, and the guests managed to impose 25-20 thus taking theì to 2-1.

The’start of the fourth set è was characterized by a good start of Italy lined up again with Bovolenta opposite and Porro on the band. On 15-13 for the Azzurri Simone Anzani also entered the court, thus regaining the blue after the well-known health events of last season due to which he had missed the European Championships played at home. The new set-up chosen by the CT paid off with Italy that, after failing a first set ball, è managed to take the match to the tie-break thanks to the 25-20 final. 

Galvanized by the’performance of the fourth set, the Azzurri started off decisively in the tie-break as well, which they led steadily until 15-11 that closed the match on 3-2 for Giannelli and his teammates.