Tomorrow Panthers in Tuscany to take the pass for the final Santarelli: “Nice record, but I want the Scudetto and Champions”
/ CONEGLIANO
Strengthened by the authoritative victory of in game 1 of the semifinal, the Imoco returns to the gym today before facing the fourth (and last) seasonal trip to the Scandicci sports hall, where tomorrow at 6 pm game-2 will be played: here the panthers faced also Florence in the previous round, in addition to the home team in the regular season and Champions League commitments.
BARBOLINI ON THE STRINGS
Coach Barbolini’s team, which instead returned to work yesterday, is on the last call to try to hold on to the playoffs; first of all the attitude will be able to make the difference, as had happened in that hard-fought 3-2 at the end of February, when Malinov and teammates were one step away from the challenge, with two match points in hand. On Wednesday, while remaining point by point until the end of the first set, the Tuscans did not give the impression of having more room to put the arrow and overtake. The serve, especially with Lubian and Pietrini, worked well, but not enough to put the panthers in trouble. «We have to risk a little more, starting from the joke – explains Barbolini – we cannot lose with Conegliano by only making three mistakes. We didn’t dare, when we beat well we put them in difficulty. Let’s start from there, from the joke, from the defense ».
the cross “libero”
On the other hand, the very low efficiency of the target Sylla (6 errors and only 29% positive reception) was compensated by the rest of the team, starting with Wolosz, who had to go many more meters than usual to trigger the attacks. . Scandicci has tried on some occasions to change the patterns, serving short on De Kruijf when he was on the front line: the Dutchman did not break down and responded with a truly regal performance, 8 out of 8 in attack, 2 blocks and 2 aces. Conegliano also won the other night even though he made many more mistakes than his opponent (20 against 9), especially in the serve; but when the ball passed the net, it was the break phase, thanks to the block and the defense, that made the difference (32 against 11) and weakened Scandicci. «The mistakes we made – adds Barbolini – could have jeopardized any match, not just against them. With such a strong team, the gap becomes huge. We start again from 1-0 and look first in our home than in theirs, which is well equipped ». As things stand and given the development of 89 victories out of 92 races in the last two years, it is only the Imoco that can make the Imoco lose, that is when the decline in form and performance is added to the strength and determination of opponent on duty.
THE 60 WINS? BETTER TROPHIES
Coach Santarelli is not interested in Guinness records. «These numbers are nice but I want to win the Scudetto and the Champions League. It is also true that you do not arrive by chance to 60 victories in a row, they are successes that have deep roots in the programming of the club, in the commitment of the sponsors and in the work of the staff: we try to put the girls on the field in the best possible way. The group is strong and wants to continue growing between now and May 1st ». And the Champions Superfinal in Verona will be the real test for the Panthers, given that Vakifbank is perhaps the only team today at the level of Imoco. The Giallonere from Istanbul will start tomorrow’s five-game final series for the Turkish title against Fenerbahçe, who eliminated Eczacibasi in Game 3 of the semifinal. –