De Gennaro is the only panther to win 3 tricolors with the Imoco “Great battles await us, I can’t wait to play”
/ CONEGLIANO
More than one panther can count three championship finals in their career (and they will be four from Saturday), but Monica De Gennaro is the only one who has played and won them all. Looking back at the images of five years ago, those of the first tricolor won against Piacenza, we understand what and how many improvements have occurred in his way of playing. The sense of position and the speed of movement were already excellent in 2016, but what has really changed is the second touch, sometimes made necessary by the circumstances: today we are not only used to dribbling – something unthinkable for some volleyball “purists” – but also in bagher with tense and fast trajectories for the attackers. In the days of the first tricolor this was not the case and the support was always the traditional one, a bell tower, slower and more legible from the opposing wall; today, even at an international level, Moki is a model that refers to many players and many teams. «I am proud – says the Libero dell’Imoco – to have made the role of the Libero grow in consideration and that now there are those who are inspired by my game. The intent is to make the game more beautiful, faster and more spectacular, I am happy that it has broken through and that the public likes it ».
Coach Santarelli has given further rhythm to the already lively game of his teacher Davide Mazzanti, also thanks to the entry into the team of suitable players. «When Asia Wolosz arrived – continues De Gennaro – she already had the technical means, but evidently she had never had the opportunity to express them; here he found the right technical environment and with the right strikers who are on our roster, this game system was born that combines great effectiveness with improving the show on the pitch. We are all proud of this and luckily the results prove us right ». Not resting on the laurels of 61 wins is also a determining factor. «What we have done so far unfortunately counts for nothing, everything is reset. But we have been thinking about one match at a time all year round without thinking about anything other than to engage in training and prepare for the challenges that await us. Novara is a strong team and will show its great qualities, great battles await us, we are ready, without thinking about the previous ones ».
Half of the team already has experience in scudetto finals, the other half is making their debut, but this does not change the climate in the locker room and in the gym. «In training we have always pushed a lot, every day throughout the season, this has been our strength, so I don’t notice big differences because the focus of the team has always been high. There is a bit of waiting, it’s normal, because these are the games we have worked for all year and we can’t wait to play them ». The big difference is the empty buildings. “Terrible, you never get used to it. I was lucky to play many super games with Palaverde overflowing; this time it will be really hard without the warmth of the fans, but at least this year we can play the finals. We will also take the field for them ». –