Table and Chronicle Club World Cup – Group B – Day 3
PROSECCO DOC IMOCO CONEGLIANO- RED ROCKETS KAWASAKI 3-‘
(25-16,25-20,25-19)
Prosecco DOC Imoco: Wolosz 3, Haak 17, Chirichella ne, Fahr 9, Gabi 8, Zhu 12, De Gennaro, Seki, Bardaro ne, Lubian 8, Adiwge 2, Lanier ne, Lukasik 1, Eckl ne. All.Santarelli
Red Rockets: Shimamura 9, Sato13, Tsukada, Hirota, Yamada 6, Kinoe ne, Nagawaka 1, Yamauchi, Furuya ne, Wada ne, Da Silva 4, Sasaki, Kongyot 12, Sayata. All. Takayuki
Referees: Agnieszka (Pol), Hae-Yoeun (Kor)
Set Duration: 23′,23′,25′
Notes: Batting errors Co 7,Kw 5; Aces: 4-3 ; Walls:13-5
Third round for the Panthers at the Hangzhou Club World Cup and third 3-0 win today with the Japanese Red Rockets Kawasaki, who in the first two rounds won 3-0 with the Vietnamese Ninh and lost 3-0 with the Brazilian Praia. Conegliano already qualified for the semifinals takes first place in Group V and will play the semifinal as early as tomorrow, Saturday (at 12:30 p.m. Italian time, live DAZN and volleyballworld.tv) opponent to be determined the runner-up of the ‘tangled Group A that ends today. One of Numia Vero Volleyball Milan, Minas and Tianjin, who play each other at 12:30 p.m., will cross irons tomorrow with the Panthers.
Prosecco DOC Imoco’s sextet with coach Santarelli fielding the heavy artillery to close the round: Wolosz-Haak, Fahr-Lubian, Zhu-Gabi, libero De Gennaro; while the Asian champions Red Rockets start with Tsukasa-Da Silva, Shimamura-Yamada, Sato-Kongyot, libero Sayata.
The first set is beautiful and hard-fought, with the Japanese team confirming its rank as Asian champions and with lots of defense and speed of execution in attack making life hard for Wolosz and her teammates. Conegliano’s start is drumming with Zhu Ting taking the applause of her audience, the Chinese and the certain-Haak try the first stretch: 9-5. But the Japanese do not give up, Shimamura at center and Da Silva start the comeback and the Red Rockets become threatening (11-9). The defense of the Japanese does not drop easy balls, it takes patience for the Panthers who, however, have a De Gennaro capable of rivaling the Rising Sun girls in dexterity, Zhu (5 points in the set) closes 12-9. A few too many hitting errors give confidence to the Rockets, who come within a whisker (15-14) before being pushed back by the yellow-blue fury.
Isabelle Haak marches swiftly alternating lobs with power attacks, Gabi goes “mill”, but on the other side is Sato who places the -1 ace (18-17). We have to fight to the end, Haak (8 points in the set, 54% and 1 wall) continues to rage, Marina Lubian seals a crucial wall for 23-20 after a nice serve by Seki (derby for her) just in. Seki again on defense propitiates a super riser by captain Wolosz for Gabi who forcefully breaks down the defense and paves the way for winning the first set: 25-21 with the final blow from an excellent Bella Haak.
The second set is another battle, the Red Rockets go all out and with great enthusiasm start lively in attack with Shimamura, Sato (7 points in the set) and Kongyot (6) unleashed. Prosecco DOC Imoco has to give their all, Gabi tries with a wall the stretch (8-6), but the Japanese react and overtake on 10-11 with Shimamura’s ace (10-11). The wake-up call of the first Japanese lead advises coach Santarelli to time out. After the words of their “guru,” the Panthers come back to life led on the straight and narrow by the host Zhu Ting (5 points in the set), an attack and an ace that makes the Hangzhou sports hall explode and brings Conegliano ahead, a 4-0 break and the European champions go back ahead (14-11).
Now it’s the turn of the yellow-blue powerhouses (4 points apiece in the match), two deadly attacks by Lubian, two impressive walls by Fahr, then a magic move by Wolosz again for the blue powerhouse and it’s 19-14. Yamada and Sato try to answer, but Isabelle Haak today is “on fire” (5 points also in the second set), she goes to bat on 21-19 and places two aces that close the games, despite the effort the Red Rockets have to surrender to the physical power of the Italian team that closes 25-20 and has the certainty of the first place in the round.
In the third set the Red Rockets started well as in the previous partial (5-7), but Prosecco DOC Imoco asserted its overflowing physicality compared to the minute Japanese (13-5 the wall count) and after a couple of super defenses by De Gennaro came the imposing “monster blocks” of Sarah Fahr (she would close with 5, 9 points in total) and Marina Lubian (2, 8 points at the end) that brought the contest back on the side of the Venetian (11-8). Undisputed dominance of the Olympic powerhouses who dictate the law under the net. Kongyot, the best in attack for the Japanese, however, keeps hammering away to keep the Red Rockets in their wake, but the Italian wall continues to make the difference, Lubian again scores and returns the +3 (13-10). Asia Wolosz (two of her “embroideries” for the first point thrilled the Chinese audience) feels it’s time for a change of pace and sends a regal Isabelle Haak (the Swedish star will end a high-level match with 17 points, 3 walls, 2 aces), good at always going over the Eastern wall. Slowly the Red Rockets’ resistance subsided under the blows of a Prosecco DOC Imoco tidy and patient in finding the moments to be cynical and close without suffering. Coach Santarelli’s Panthers make no more mistakes and take the lead in the final, first Gabi strikes (8 points at the end), then Zhu (12 points) to the delight of her wild fans closes with authority the 25-19 that sends Conegliano to the world semifinals with 3 round wins in the round.
With three clear victories, Prosecco DOC Imoco dominated Group B and will continue its World Cup adventure tomorrow, Saturday, at 12:30 p.m. crossing in the semifinals one between Numia Vero Volley Milano (most likely crossover), the Chinese Tianjin or Coach Negro’s Brazilian Minas.
The response after the last match of Group A at 12:30 p.m. between Tianjin and Minas.
MEDIA: Sunday 3/4 place final at 8 a.m. and 1/2 place final at 12:30 p.m. with LIVE telecast on DAZN and and on volleyballworl
HERE LINK TO THE OFFICIAL TOURNAMENT PAGE:
Volleyball Women’s Club World Championships 2024
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(FIVB photo)