Conegliano, undefeated for 480 days, only complicates his life in the first set, then it’s a target practice. Race 2 in Tuscany on Saturday
/ VILLORBA
From December 15, 2019 to yesterday, Imoco Conegliano’s unbeaten days are 480, who won the sixtieth consecutive game overcoming Scandicci in game 1 of the championship semifinal: The match was discussed only in the first set, more thanks to the mistakes of the panthers than to the ability of the guests, who only for short stretches confirmed the good things done in the previous round against Busto. The starting sextets are as expected: Santarelli still gives up Folie, but can count on an excellent Fahr in the center, Barbolini has limited rotations in place 4 with Courtney weakened by a back problem, which makes her usable only in the second row. Hill’s dazzling departure, very inspired by place 4, where he plays with cunning and experience with a couple of poisonous lobs; his ace on Pietrini is worth the 5-2 which then grows up to 8-3 with Sylla, good at closing an inaccurate reception, Fahr, who slips a first half served by Wolosz, and De Kruijf who in turn find a winning service. Scandicci is unable to follow the speed of the yellow-blue schemes with the block and does not bear the insistence on Sylla on the serve; only a few mistakes by the panthers do not make the gap widen more, which goes up to 14-8, after Stysiak’s first point and a full-arm fast by De Kruijf. Here the efficiency of Pietrini rises and that of the Imoco who gives two points with Hill and Egonu: the partial 5-0 for the Tuscans puts the set back in balance, which proceeds in tears on both sides. First 17-13, then 19-17, until 24-20 which seems to be a prelude to the first goal; but Egonu misses the serve, Vasileva passes over the wall and again Egonu shoots out on Lubian’s non-binding turn. Santarelli tries to reverse the trend first by calling a tactical video check on a non-existent invasion and then timeout: the desired effect comes because the Scandicci plant sends the joke on the tape and everyone at the change of court.
Scandicci does not seem to have the attitude put in place in the home match of the Champions League at the end of February and the confirmation comes at the resumption of the game: it is Barbolini’s team that is much more foul and overall less aggressive. In a moment the Imoco is already ahead 8-4, despite having not excellent percentages in attack, especially with Egonu and Sylla (respectively 22% and 0% in the set); the others, Hill, De Kruijf and Fahr take care of digging an ever deeper groove that reaches up to 17-8 on Egonu’s turn. Barbolini tried in vain the double change with Camera and Drewniok, after an emergency exit from Merlo, hit in the nasal septum by a violent fast from De Kruijf. Conegliano is mistress and Scandicci attacks with a measly 20%.
The difference on the pitch is at times embarrassing thanks to the continuity of the Imoco which does not concede anything, even on the push of Santarelli who insists on not slowing down the pace, even when the result is in his pocket; the guests are clearly giving up in the third set, where there is practically no match, so much so that there is a way to let the owners catch their breath in the last exchanges and to let almost the entire bench taste the field, except for Omoruyi and Folie , ready to return to work with the rest of the team in the next few days.
In the sequence of 6 consecutive victories the name of Scandicci is counted 7 times, 6 times each of Novara and Busto; there are 5 for Florence, 4 for Chieri, Monza and Nantes, 3 for Bergamo, Brescia and Casalmaggiore, 2 for Cuneo, Fenerbahçe, Kamnik, Perugia, Trentino, one each for Alba Blaj, Budapest, Caserta, Filottrano, Stuttgart. In the 480 days undefeated, Conegliano conceded only 15 sets to his opponents, winning 47 times 3-0, 12 for 3-1 and only one in the tiebreak. –