Prosecco DOC Imoco’s sextet with Seki-Adiwge, Chirichella-Lubian, Lukasik-Lanier, libero Bardaro, while Ninh’s vice Asian champions start with Hoai-Thien, Thuy-Trinh, Warisara-Hong, libero Kim Lien.
The first set slipped away as smooth as oil, just a few points were needed and Seki’s game flowed smoothly from the hands of the Japanese to the attackers, with a painstaking distribution that eventually saw 6 points from an always excellent Merit Adiwge, who also amazed at the World Cup as well as in her Italian and European debuts, 5 for an effervescent and profitable Marina Lubian (2 walls and 100% attack) and 4 each for Chirichella, Lanier (100% also for the USA attacker) and Lukasik. As soon as the serve gets heavier the Vietnamese struggle to contain the ball speed, the rest is done by the wall and a counterattack that always or almost always scores on the Bardaro-Seki axis. Prosecco DOC Imoco’s second lines do not make the starters regret, they take the lead on 12-8, then the final push with Lukasik, attack and ace for 18-12, the closing is all Khalia Lanier and Merit Adiwge for 25-16.
In the third set the technical and physical gap between the two teams is even more evident. Ninh Binh tries with the fast plays typical of the Eastern game, but the results are easy to read for the Gialloblù wall, with Marina Lubian (3 “blocks” in the set, also unleashed on serve) and Cristina Chirichella feasting under the net at their leisure. The harvest of aces also continues for the Panthers, who push with every possession, putting concentration and order despite the relative resistance of the Vietnamese.
After making things clear already at the beginning of the set, in the middle part Khalia Lanier on offense and Nanami Seki who feels the air of the East and places three aces almost in a row go wild. It becomes a gialloblù monologue, merciless 25-8 marking an abysmal gap between the two formations, with baby Adiwge still impeccable top scorer with 6 points on the score sheet. Choruses for the Panthers can also be heard echoing from China thanks to four brave Prosecco DOC Imoco fans who did not want to miss the event.
In the third set there is also room for Katja Eckl to give Chirichella a breather, Lubian starts strong again along with Adiwge, but Ninh Minh with Tuyen holds on in the early stages (5-5). There is even a lead (7-8) for the Asian team, but it wakes the sleeping dog, in this case the panther, and suffers the overwhelming wave of the Prosecco DOC Imoco, which returns to its furious pace and melts the opponent’s resistance.
Eckl seals the 14-9, then between an ace from an overflowing Lubian (14 points, 5 walls, 100% in attack) and a missile from the trio Adiwge, Lanier (14 points, 2 walls and 3 aces!) and Lukasik the lead still takes on abysmal proportions. Nanami Seki still collects a few more aces (4 in total!) and has fun thanks to the excellent chemistry with an ever-reliable Merit Adiwge (17 points, top scorer of the match) who seals the easy 25-15 that closes hostilities. After two days of competition Prosecco DOC Imoco.
After the first two clear victories, the round will continue after a day of rest as early as Thursday at 8:00 a.m. Italian time for the last match of the round against the Japanese Red Rockets Kawasaki, who had won 3-0 with Ninh Binh yesterday, a match that will decide the first place in the pool. In fact, with tonight’s victory, Prosecco DOC Imoco has already qualified for Saturday’s semifinal between the top two in the group.
Volleyball Women’s Club World Championships 2024
