Conegliano, Milan and Scandicci in scudetto semifinals
Playoffs, quarters
Sunday’s Game 2 of the A1 Tigot Series Playoff Quarterfinals returns the top three participants to the Scudetto Semifinals: Conegliano will wait for the winner of Novara-Chieri, the only ones to play Game 3 (Wednesday, March 19 at 8 pm.30), playing Game 1 of the next phase on Saturday, March 22 at 6 p.m. while twenty-four hours later, at 6 p.m. on Sunday, March 23, the first round of the Series between Milan and Scandicci.
A great game was not enough for’Eurotek Uyba Busto Arsizio in front of the 2,500 spectators at’E-Work Arena to get the better of Savino Del Bene Scandicci. After two sets of great quality, which had left a glimpse of Game 3 on the horizon, coach Marco Gaspari s Tuscan women increased the engine revs and evened the score with the Busto women. The match was decided in a breathtaking tie-break, which after a very long back-and-forth ended only 20-22 in favor of the guests, who thus qualified in Scudetto Semifinals. As in Game 1, è again Ekaterina Antropova the MVP of the confrontation, 32 points with 4 aces, but all her teammates except Ognjenovic go in double figures: 16 points for Herbots, 13 for Mingardi, 11 apiece for Nwakalor and Carol, 7 walls each. Not the result hoped for but certainly the’pride of seriously challenging the highly-rated opponents for coach Barbolini’s team, which saw as many as three players above twenty: Piva (25), Obossa (22) and Kunzler (20).
Even for Scandicci’s opponent in the Scudetto Semifinal, Race 2 does not turn out to be a walk in the park: the Numia Vero Volley Milano in fact manages to conquer the Vitrifrigo Arena in front of more than 4500 fans folding the Megabox Ond. Savio Vallefoglia only in the tie-break. After the’initial Milanese advantage, the green-and-whites responded vehemently by winning both the second and third fraction. Backs to the wall, Milan convincingly returned to the match by equalizing in the fourth set, then placed the winning paw by stretching to +4 on 6-10 in the fifth game, finally closed 12-15. As in Game 1, best on court award for the very young Hena Kurtagic, 13 points with as many as 8 walls and more and more central for coach Lavarini, who then also benefits from the 24 points of Egonu, the same as Vallefoglia’s best, Lee, and the 13 of Sylla.
In front of 5,000 spectators at the’unseen ChorusLife Arena, Bergamo says goodbye to Playoff Scudetto also giving up in Game 2 0-3 against Prosecco Doc Imoco Conegliano. After the show at the beginning of the match, animated by the old glories of Foppapedretti and the first official appearance of the Scudetto cup, the champions of everything played their usual dominant game, never going in trouble against the orobiche. There were three performances to highlight for coach Santarelli’s team: the 11 points of Haak, as of today the best scorer in the history of the club gialloblù with 2576 points, the 6 walls of Chirichella (11 total points) and the MVP performance of Monica De Gennaro, who became the player with the most appearances in Serie A competitions with 631 appearances on the court.
After five consecutive losses Reale Mutua Fenera Chieri ’76’returns to success and does so with a great show of character in the derby against Igor Gorgonzola Novara, which ended 3-0. The Series, now on’1-1, will have its epilogue in Game 3 scheduled Wednesday, March 19 at 8:30 pm. Coach Bregoli s girls managed to prevail in the drawn-out finals of the first and third sets, which ended 28-26 and 25-23, giving their opponents preference for lucidity in the hottest moments of the match. MVP the’ex Buijs, author of 17 points, while Skinner and Gicquel in scored 14 and 13 respectively and Gray returned to the forefront with 4 walls (9 total points). Not the best performance of coach Bernardi’s team, Alsmeier and Tolok finish in double figures, 13 and 10 points, but with 21% and 7% efficiency.
At the same time, in the Challenge Playoffs, the Bartoccini-Mc Restauri Perugia confirmed the success of Race 1 and with another 3-0 win entered the second phase of the competition eliminating the’Honda Olivero Cuneo. Two nimble sets for the Umbrians, won at 18 and 17, more difficult the third fraction, with the Cats good at challenging the hosts, already mathematically at Stage 2 and then with some second line in the sextet, before yielding forò 27-25. MVP and only player in double figures in the confrontation Aleksandra Gryka, 10 points with 1 ace and 2 walls. With the same formula of round-trip with eventual Golden Set, coach Giovi s team will find the loser of the confrontation between Novara and Chieri in Phase 2. The other two matches will see Pinerolo face Busto Arsizio and Bergamo against Vallefoglia. First leg, on the weekend of March 22-23, again at the home of the worst-ranked in the Regular Season.
