Volleyball, A1 women, Milan: ninth victory, Chieri is back in the running

Victories for Milan, Chieri and Bergamo on the tenth day of the championship. All matches of the day began with an initiative in support of all women victims of the oppressive Iranian regime and in particular of Fahimeh Karimi, the volleyball teacher sentenced to death for taking part in the protests. Her image was projected with the message: “The Women’s Volleyball League stands by Fahimeh Karimi and all the women forced to suffer the regime’s violence in Iran. We strongly ask that Fahimeh be released and that her sentence ceases ”.

Cuneo-Milan 0-3 (19-25, 19-25, 22-25)

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Ten games, nine wins. The roadmap of Vero Volley Milano does not stop in Cuneo which, on the other hand, stops its score after five consecutive victories. There was a battle, but Milan has always held the crux of the matter, confirming itself as a block specialist. Gicquel (first appearance in this championship after the injury) half service for the Cuneo bench, alternating with Drews. For coach Gaspari, Larson on the bench is available, but not used. Setter Orro is MVP of the match. It is Milan that immediately takes over the set, trying to keep the Cuneo area at a distance. And it is the wall that allows Vero Volley to maintain the “safety” points (5-1 in this partial). Signorile is forced to always serve the attack balls away from the net, which favors the Lombard defenses. Folie’s serving time allows Milan to increase the advantage and Sylla digs a hole in the three meters for the 9-12. Gicquel replies who gives way to Drews in the halfway point. Two consecutive walls of the guests and it goes to 12-18. The former Candi also enters the serve (on the net: 18-22), then Thompson extends to 18-23. Ball to Sylla who signs the 19-24 and the hands out of Milan decides the partial: 19-25. Cuneo takes the field with the will to recover, but Milan leaves little room for reaction. In fact Cuneo Granda wastes in the counterattack, so Milan can play without pressure: 5-10, 9-11. Coach Zanini alternates the free Caravello – Gay, in the center Caruso for Hall. Vero Volley blocks many attacks, building, point by point, the advantage that allows you to always keep your opponents 4 or 5 points away. Kuznetsova blocks Thompson, Rettke replies on the same Russian from Cuneo and it goes 14-18. Stysiak’s bomb (7 points) arrives for 15-20, while Drews enters for Gicquel. Cuneo recovers points in the final with Szakmary (7 points) and reaches 19-23. Thompson first and an oversize recovery by Caravello end the set: 19-25. Cuneo starts well (3-1) and Zanini tries the starting six with Drews. The first advantage of Cuneo Granda can be seen at the start: 3-1. The Milanese wall specialists are answered by a series of blocks from Cuneo that disorient the opponents. Milan recovers immediately: 7 all and pushes back on the accelerator (7-9). The Milanese wall grows (Folie 7-10) and Orro sorts out all the attackers. Szakmary and Kutznetsova recover points (20-21), but it’s always the Milan block that hurts (20-22). Begic closes set and match: 22-25. Gianni Scarpace

Bergamo-Pinerolo 3-1 (25-21, 24-26, 25-20, 25-23)

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Volley Bergamo scores the fourth victory in the last five matches, reinforcing the good position in the standings on the eve of a string of rather difficult matches. Pinerolo held the field very well for the entire match and would not have deserved of reaching the tie-break. From a competitive point of view the comparison was quite exciting, much more than from a technical point of view. The game rarely touched spectacular peaks and many points were determined by errors. The percentages of attacks were low (34% Bergano, 27% Pinerolo) so much so that the best goalscorers of the two teams were the central players Butigan and Akrari. The performance of the opposite Lorrayna, stopped at 31%, and of the lateral Lanier (34%) is low. The best were Cecchetto and Moro, the two free riders. In line with Seranton

Chieri-Vallefoglia 3-0 (25-21, 25-16, 26-20)

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Reale Mutua Fenera Chieri made no mistake in the home match against Megabox Ondulati Savio Vallefoglia, winning a peremptory 3-0 to move up the standings and above all regain victory in the championship after the two stops against the top of the class. On the other side of the net, the opponents give up in just over an hour of play. In the first set Chieri extends on two occasions, on 14-4 and on 20-14, but Vallefoglia each time manages to mend almost the entire disadvantage to get back in his slipstream, making great use of the turn-over on the pitch: first returning to -3 and then even on -2. However, the compactness of the landlords is the extra quid that allows Chieri to close the partial 25-21, despite a set ball disallowed. The visiting team showed up, on the eve of the match, with a perfect reception percentage higher than that of Chieri, but in the final scoresheet of the second set it even remained on 0%. The grit of the first partial is a little less, as well as a greater foulness from nine meters. And so, after the initial 6-6, once again it is Chieri who impresses his game and archives the set 25-16. A point-to-point start until 9-9, with Vallefoglia who on a couple of occasions even managed to get ahead, albeit by only one point. The keystone is in the central part of the set when, one ball at a time, it is Chieri who builds his advantage thanks also to the players who have entered the match and give their precious support. The emblem is the central Brionne Butler (who closes the partial with six personal points, including two blocks, and 100% in attack). Taking advantage of some fundamentals such as the serve and the block in the first place, the white and blues eventually tame the opposing tigers 25-20. Captain Grobelna receives the MVP award (13 personal points and 38% in attack) but congratulates all his teammates on the level of play (physical and mental) expressed, especially in such an intense period between the championship and the Challenge Cup. Gabriele Giovine

Busto Arsizio-Macerata 3-0 (25-20, 25-16, 33-31)

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Third victory in a row for an e-work finally healed: after the success on Pinerolo and the blitz in Florence with Scandicci, the butterflies, directed by Lloyd and driven by the 23 points of the top scorer Rosamaria, liquidate Macerata in three sets (33 -31 the third set), demonstrating that he has put the black period linked to injuries behind him. Fresh from the midweek defeat against Conegliano (anticipating the 12th day), Luca Paniconi, coach of CBF Balducci Hr, cannot yet line up the latest market purchase: the Dutch setter Laura Dijkema, present on the sidelines but usable only from next December 6th. On the home front instead Marco Musso, after the aforementioned indispositions at the beginning of the season, can field the typical sextet for the third time in a row. In front of the 1500 players in the e-work Arena, the first set runs steadily in the hands of Lloyd’s Uyba who, blocking and attacking (63% with Rosamaria and Degradi above average), makes the difference: the seal of 25-20, in 25′, Omoruyi scores it, author of 6 points with 83%. Fiesoli and her teammates try to react, trying to stay in the game with Malik, but the home butterflies, since they’re full, show they have something extra, at least compared to Macerata: 25-16 in 23′ on the attack Degradi (for her 7 points as well as Rosamaria), has little to say. With their backs to the wall, the Marches (Malik will finish with 18 points) generously try to use up all their residual energies, recovering up to 21 all and canceling eight match points, but the bustocche have already left too many points on the road in this first part of the season: on Fiesoli’s attack on the net (10 points for the captain, one more than Molinaro) the very tight 33-31 in 39′ takes shape. In the final score, Lloyd sends Rosamaria (23), Zakchaiou (13), Degradi (11) and Omoruyi (10) into double figures. Mattia Brazzelli Lualdi