/ CONEGLIANO
They returned to dress the yellow and blue, completing the roster available to Daniele Santarelli, also Monica De Gennaro, Miriam Sylla and Paola Egonu. The three European champions could make their debut as early as Saturday at 6pm in the friendly against Bergamo at Zola Predosa’s PalaZola Venturi near Bologna, albeit with few training sessions on their legs (today the third of the week, before the departure scheduled for tomorrow morning).
Per Sylla, the Italian captain, «the summer was strange, from the very low moment at the Olympics, with the regret of not being ready, and the amazement and surprise of the victory in the European Championship». In his personal ranking of the best games played, for Sylla the final in Belgrade against Serbia is at the top, albeit with some remorse. «I played it well, I’m aware of it, but I’m never fully satisfied with myself. I have already looked at it twice, more to see what I did wrong: some choices in attack, a block to one on Boskovic, some lack of assistance ». Taking over from Chirichella in the role of captain was not easy for the Conegliano spiker: «Initially I had many doubts: I was wondering if I would be up to it and able to change my attitude. But living difficult moments made me realize the importance of just being myself. ”
Egonu had the honor of carrying the Olympic flag to Tokyo at the opening ceremony of the Games. “I’m proud of it: it’s a once in a lifetime experience. I hope I have conveyed the pure emotions I was feeling ». Named MVP of the European final, the champion from Cittadella does not hide that she suffered the impact of the 20 thousand fans of the Stark Arena. “In the first set I felt a lot of pressure from the public: after two years of empty stadiums it wasn’t easy, then I entered the game and it didn’t affect me anymore.” Now the return for the third season as a panther, after leading the team to win everything possible. «The idea of returning to Conegliano gave us an extra boost, even after just one week of rest: it was like coming home. The new teammates amaze me because they all have excellent characteristics. I can’t wait to play with them too and keep winning ».
The most experienced of Imoco is De Gennaro, in its ninth season in Conegliano. «Every year we ask ourselves if we will find the right stimuli, but the company has always been very good at always building an ambitious squad: even the new girls have made a good impression on me. I saw the Imoco grow: in the early years even just reaching the final was an almost unthinkable goal, in the last four seasons we have lined up 14 out of 15 competitions, winning 10 ». And the victory at the European Championship is another highlight of Moki’s career, “Gold has paid off, if not the Olympic disappointment, the hardships of a long summer”. –