Table and Chronicle World Club Final
PROSECCO DOC IMOCO CONEGLIANO-BOHAI BANK TIANJIN 3-0
(25-21,25-15,25-19)
Prosecco DOC Imoco: Gabi 11, Zhu 13, De Gennaro, Haak 25, Wolosz 2, Lukasik, Chirichella 3, Fahr 9, Bardaro, Adigwe ne, Lanier ne, Seki ne, Eckl ne, Lubian. All. Santarelli Tianjin: Yingying 12, Shiqui, Liu Meijun 5, Fetisova 5, Tapia Cruz ne, Yang, Liu, Chen 5, Meng 1, Y.Y. Wang 5, Yao, Y.Z. 1, Liu X. ne, Wang 12. All.Cheng
Referees: Michlich (Po), Boulanger (Bel)
Spectators: 8000
Set length: 26′,22′,26′ Notes: Batting errors Co 4,Ti 5; Aces: 4-1 ;Walls: 8-7
MVP: Haak
Prosecco DOC Imoco is World Champion for the third time! In Hangzhou the Panthers conquered with their fifth 3-0 in five matches in this magical Chinese week, this time against the hosts Tianjin, their third World Club Championship, 26th trophy in the history of the yellow-blue club, 5th of this fantastic 2024!
It was a team victory for coach Santarelli’s Panthers, MVP as soloist of an outstanding orchestra was awarded Isabelle Haak, also at her third World Championship and at her…third title of best player of the event! Also with her in the ideal sextet were home idol Zhu Ting and Olympic center Sarah Fahr. THE FINAL: The long-awaited moment has arrived, the Club World Cup Final featuring in Hangzhou the two teams that with four wins out of four matches played this week have dominated the scene so far. Audiences divided in half between faith for the host national team, the Chinese battleship Tianjin infused with national teams, and for the unbridled passion shown in recent days toward Zhu Ting the Chinese star of Prosecco DOC Imoco, welcomed in her homeland as a living legend.
Coach Santarelli pitches his team for the final with Wolosz-Haak, Chirichella-Fahr, Gabi-Zhu, libero De Gennaro, Tianjin responds with Yao-Yang Y, Fetisova-Wang Y Y, Li-Wang Y Z, libero Liu.
It starts in the din of the Huanglong Sports Center, completely packed with 8,000 spectators for the final act of a World Cup that in the aspect of the local following has reached crazy levels of enthusiasm, as also confirmed in the final. The Chinese team, capable of beating Milan 3-0 in the round, began to bring the weight of its stars to bear, the formidable setter Li above all. The start is all about the Chinese who advance 1-4, but it takes little to carbonize in Conegliano’s house, Fahr walls, Zhu attacks and it is immediately parity. Sarah Fahr takes the stage, aces and defense allowing Gabi to put Prosecco DOC Imoco ahead 6-4.
Ball after ball is fought and the show is for fine palates in a match immediately of great intensity. Li leads the Tianjin attack (5 points in the set), at 9-12 there is a time out by coach Santarelli who smells danger. The Chinese do nothing wrong, Fetisova closes 14-17, then the wall gives the +4 to the hosts who are definitely serious, 14-18 and another time out for the Conegliano bench.
When the going gets tough out comes the proverbial character of Prosecco DOC Imoco, which begins to defend every ball with De Gennaro and Gabi omnipresent, and the music changes. Gabi goes up a notch (stellar set with 6 points and 71% in both attack and reception) and puts on a show, Bella Haak (8 points in the set!) alternates delicious lobs with impressive broadsides and at 17-19 it is Tianjin to call time out. The comeback is relentless, Fahr (4 points in the set) attacks and walls, then Haak’s “monster block,” De Gennaro’s brushed riser for Zhu and it’s tied at 20. Having picked up its rhythm, the yellow-blue team doesn’t stop anymore, Wolosz offers special assists for her forwards, the defense keeps marching on and with a final break of 11-3 the Prosecco DOC Imoco closes 25-21, the final point by a hammering Isabelle Haak.
The second set, on the other hand, runs smoothly, having learned the lesson, Prosecco DOC Imoco starts off well right away with Fahr and a Bella Haak who hits at unthinkable heights and speeds (she will be MVP with 25 points, 3 aces and 3 walls with a “total” performance by a true star). After the Swedish’s hits a “brutal” attack by Gabi and a wall by captain Wolosz immediately send Conegliano ahead 7-4, then Chirichella closes the fast and the Panthers run away determined. Tianjin can’t hold the Gialloblù wave, Haak keeps passing while the Panthers’ wall-defense is so intense that even outliers like Li lose patience and Chinese errors begin to flow (17-9). Enter also first Bardaro, then Lukasik in the second line in a set now marked. Haak places an ace at 105 kmh that sends the crowd into a frenzy and it ends quietly at 25-15, 2-0.
The third set is another battle, similar to the first. Coach Cheng shuffles the cards with the entry of Liu M. and the effects are good, Tianjin with a 5-0 break tries to break the Prosecco DOC Imoco’s eggs in the basket (5-9). It takes the best version of Moki De Gennaro to bring back the serenity in Conegliano’s house, her defenses relaunch the Panthers who score with the “usual” Haak (she will be MVP of the tournament!) and with an increasingly charged Gabi. Then it’s time for “miss wall,” Sarah Fahr, two shutters in a row and Conegliano gets back to -1 (10-11) reopening the game. An unmitigated Gabi gets on all the balls, she even goes to the wall for the tie at 12 giving the go-ahead to overtake. It is the decisive moment, the Panthers unleash their sharpest claws and regain the lead in operations: Asia Wolosz ups the tempo and there is none for anyone, first hitting Zhu, then Chirichella’s fast for the crucial 20-18 stretch.
It’s almost done, Gabi scores (11 points for her in her second World Club Championship triumph), Zhu walls (13 points at the end) and an extraordinary Isabelle Haak (9 points in the set!) puts an end to the Conegliano Panthers’ golden Chinese trip!
It’s triumph again and the notes of We Are The Champion resound in a jubilation of yellowoblù,
the PROSECCO DOC IMOCO IS WORLD CHAMPION!
Tomorrow is the return to Italy with the Club World Cup for the rainbow champions, who are now simultaneously Italian, European and World Champions. The “Champions of Everything” are scheduled to land in Venice at 10:50 p.m. tomorrow, Monday night, after a stopover in Rome. After a well-deserved rest on December 26 at Palaverde in the Boxing Day match with Talmassons there will be the big world party to celebrate in the embrace of its fans another great feat that makes the Gialloblù’s winning epic continue, which has now reached with the third World title to 26 trophies put in the trophy case!
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(FIVB photo)
