The Hill fan in the stands, there is Folie the owner: “So many unknowns”. Egonu’s revelation: “I had a panic attack”
/ CONEGLIANO
The Imoco begins its tenth year once again with a final, a pleasant and constant habit from 2017 onwards: today will be the sixth consecutive for the Super Cup, a trophy that has been on the Gialloblù showcase for three years. There are also three precedents for the trophy played with Novara, which 4 years ago won in comeback. It was the first high-level match played by Paola Egonu, who became a star of international volleyball; since then the opposite of Conegliano has matured technically and humanly, facing dark moments thanks to the people closest to her, such as the days after the Olympic disappointment, spent at her parents’ home in Manchester. «I closed myself in my room for a week – she told Corriere della Sera – disconnecting everything. I ate tons of fried plantains, my comfort food, I went back to being small and I let myself be pampered by mum ». The triumph at the European Championship is recent history, a revenge born within the group and with an incentive of the Imoco brand, during the match against Croatia of coach Santarelli: «In his eyes I saw the confidence: I could not disappoint him». But there is also the fight against an invisible opponent, panic. «I also had a seizure the other day in training. Monica De Gennaro, who is very sensitive, noticed it and stopped everything. These are moments that come and go. I’m fine now. In Conegliano I feel at home, everyone is welcoming, nobody makes me feel wrong ».
The Imoco relies on her (mainly) who, after having dominated the last two seasons with 64 consecutive victories, wants to extend the series even more and being faced with one of the main contenders will be an excellent test bed. Novara ranks two Olympic champions (Hancock and Washington), has two talented opposites like Karakurt and Montibeller, the blue Bosetti and Chirichella, the former Fersino panther as free holder. «With Novara – says coach Santarelli – it is never a trivial challenge, but our ambitions do not change. Obviously the teams are still running in, but the importance of the trophy and the setting will guarantee a match with great technical and emotional content ». The absences of Sylla and Fahr can complicate the design of the sextets for the Italian competitions, with up to four foreigners on the field. «There will be no problems, our team has been assembled to have many different solutions available. The historical group has already run in and knows our game system well, the new ones have already entered the mechanisms well and have integrated perfectly into the group, I can’t really complain ».
On the stands cheering Imoco a great ex of both teams, Kimberly Hill, new Olympic champion who retired after Tokyo and, on vacation, took the opportunity to return to Italy to find her companions in many battles. So Raphaela Folie: «We will finally play with the public and it will be a really great emotion after so many months behind closed doors. We hope that soon we can also go beyond this 35% which is a little bit, but already in this way the sensations will be strong and I can’t imagine when we can also play at Palaverde with our public what a joy it will be. The match? We’ll see where we and them are at, it’s the start of the season and there are many unknowns ». –