Imoco: there is Novara, the rival of the endless fight Santarelli slows down: “It’s not a decisive match”

The fortieth challenge, the first place in the standings is at stake. The coach: “We will finally fight in front of a lot of public”

Three clues, it is said, prove it. And the last precedents between Conegliano and Novara speak for themselves: it never ended 3-0, the sets almost always reached the advantages, even with very high scores (40-38, 31-29, 29-27) and the Igor has always started very strong.

In the fortieth challenge scheduled for tonight both teams are looking for confirmation and progress in the game and in the result: the temporary first place in the standings is at stake, but also the answer, so far unanswered, to the question of who will be the first team after almost two years to beat the panthers.

Wolosz and his companions certainly have no intention of giving way, the Piedmontese mosquitoes know that today they are perhaps the only ones able to compete with the reigning champions. To withstand the onslaught Conegliano will have to keep his strengths clearly highlighted at the start of the season: reception is clearly growing and the service creates far fewer problems than in the past, having dropped the number of direct errors. The attack must certainly be fixed, standing at a modest 44%, well below 52% last season: all the power plants and Egonu are already at excellent levels of efficiency, but the points from place 4 are scarce, with Courtney and Omoruyi below 30% and Plummer used only in the Super Cup. Then there are some too many blocking attacks in general on detached ball attacks: 14 in the last two games are a lot, if you think that Conegliano normally suffers 4 per game and that a team like Vakifbank had made some in the final of the Champions League. 7 in five sets.

«It will not be a decisive match – says coach Daniele Santarelli -, the goals of both are a little further, but it will be a good test to see where we are after the Super Cup. So far Novara has expressed itself well and we have also achieved good results, obviously neither team is at their best; these teams are built to go all the way, so it will take some time to reach the optimal condition, but also tonight a heated and spectacular battle, finally in front of a lot of public ».

Even the sets thrown against Vallefoglia and Rome confirm that there is still no merciless Imoco which imposes itself with a total margin of more than 20 points on the opponents: absences and turnover have not, however, affected the results. Fahr and Sylla are still long-term patients, Folie is in fact unavailable immediately, Plummer and De Gennaro with some ailments, Egonu hopes to be able to take a breather; yet the team wins and this helps to feel better. «The team has high morale after the last victories and we are continuing to train well even if incomplete and with some physical ailments in the players who have experienced an intense summer. In this regard, I must thank our young players: on Sunday there were four on the pitch in the final and it is a great satisfaction for the club and our San Donà youth sector ». –