PROSECCO DOC IMOCO CONEGLIANO – IGOR GORGONZOLA NOVARA 3-1
(16-25 | 25-18 | 25-11 | 25-15)
Prosecco DOC Imoco Conegliano: Gabi 19, Zhu 19, Seki, Eckl ne, Lubian ne, De Gennaro, Haak 21, Wolosz 1, Adigwe 1, Lanier ne, Lukasik, Chirichella 8, Fahr 6, Bardaro. Coach Santarelli
Igor Gorgonzola Novara: Bosio 3, Bartolucci, De Nardi, Fersino, Alsmeier 12, Ishikawa 8, Mims, Bonifacio 5, Aleksic 4, Mazzaro ne, Tolok 13, Akimova ne, Squarcini 2, Villani. Coach Bernardi
Referees: Piana and Curto
Attendance: 5344 (sold out)
Set length: 25’| 24’| 19’| 21’|
Notes: errors batted Co 13, No 4; aces 4 – 1; walls 9 – 4
MVP: Gabi
The semi-final of the Scudetto play-offs comes alive: in the sold out of the Palaverde game-3 of the series between Prosecco DOC Imoco Conegliano and Igor Gorgonzola Novara is played, the match that breaks the balance. In game-1 the Panthers won, then the Mosquitoes responded at the PalaIgor last weekend; Wednesday appointment for game-4, meanwhile it will be a show in the classic of Italian volleyball.
Both coaches do not change the sextets compared to game-2 8 days ago. Coach Daniele Santarelli deploys the diagonal Wolosz-Haak, Gabi and Zhu are the wings, Fahr and Chirichella the middles, De Gennaro the libero. Coach Lorenzo Bernardi chooses Bosio-Tolok for the diagonal, Ishikawa and Alsmeier are the wings, Aleksic and Bonifacio the middles, Fersino the libero.
The contest is open and very lively in the first exchanges: Haak scores in sequence (5-5, he will close the first set with 5 points and 21 at the end, as top scorer of the match), but Novara’s first tear ends with Ishikawa’s 9-12. Despite two time-outs called by coach Santarelli,Prosecco DOC Imoco tries to stay in the wake with Fahr (14-18, 6 points on the scoreboard with 2 blocks and 57% in attack at the end) and Zhu (15-22), the last yellow-blue point of the set is Adigwe’s. Seki and Bardaro also enter, but the guests go ahead with 16-25.
In the second set we see the Panthers of game-1 again: De Gennaro (100% positive reception at 1-1) and Gabi cover all the taraflex in defense and drag the team, the first advantage of the partial comes from a block by Chirichella. The Palaverde lights up and with it the Prosecco DOC Imoco, comes a 5-0 partial with a wonderful Gabi also in attack (17-12, 9 points with 100% of successful shots in the period); to tie the game come the bricks of Zhu and Haak, Chirichella places the ace (24-17, all-around performance for the center, with 8 points, 2 blocks and 2 aces) and the contest ends immediately after. From here the Panthers take flight, Gabi will win the award of best on the court with 19 points and only 2 errors between attack and reception.
At the beginning of the third set Zhu is a sentence from place 4, saws 3 in quick succession and leads the Panthers to another break (8-4, Chinese in double figures after the third period with 10 points, including the set point for 2-1), De Gennaro draws a point in bagher and Gabi records a +8 very early (12-4). Wolosz scores like a magician (14-7, only 2 team errors in attack in the set), Haak makes Prosecco DOC escape with a hat-trick from place 2 (19-9). Bardaro enters to serve, Chirichella blocks again (the other block in the set is by Haak, who will put 4 at the end out of the team’s 9), Zhu scores the 25-11 which is worth 2-1.
Fourth set from 4-0 initial for the Panthers, Haak opens and closes the partial by blocking; Gabi explodes the diagonal, Fahr blocks twice in a providential way (13-6), then it takes a couple of exceptional saves to score Zhu (17-10). Haak places a lob with the pipe, Chirichella has the habit of the ace (21-13): the matchpoint that closes the match is Zhu’s (he touches the fan with 19 points, 1 block and 65% in attack), the 3-1 comes with 25-15.
Now the series returns to Novara for game-4, it is played on Wednesday 9 at 20:30 at PalaIgor, the Panthers lead 2-1 and it is played in the best of 5 games. The eventual fifth challenge will still be played at the Palaverde.
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(photo M. Gregolin)