Italy – Montenegro
Alice Degradi and Elisa Zanette joined for a total of 16 points, almost outscoring the whole Montenegrin team who produced a scoring output of 20 points.
The Italians took an early advantage as Montenegro was missing a real power hitter to bother the solid Italian defense. Italy took good care of Montenegro’s attackers, as their production was limited to just five points in the first set. “The squadra azzurra” easily finished the set without major challenge from the hosts at 25-10.
Italy varied their attacks from drop shots to strong kills that made it difficult for Montenegro to decipher. Montenegro struggled to execute a solid offensive game due to their poor reception. Six block kills helped Italy to cruise to an easy 2:0 set lead at 25-15.
At that moment of the match, Italy’s head coach Luca Pieragnoli had already substituted the major part of his squad to offer the reserve players some playtime. They quickly honored his trust with some inspiring combinations at the net. Italy never looked back, cruising to a fast 3:0 win.
Montenegro head coach Marko Radusinovic: “We tried to play point for point but against a team like Italy it’s hard to keep a winning spirit. Let’s try to beat Slovenia tomorrow with solid serves.”
Italy head coach Luca Pieragnoli: “We were much focused tonight and kept a high pace. I’m very happy to count on a team with twelve strong players.”
Italy vs. Montenegro 3:0 (25-10, 25-15, 25-9)
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