Three days of top volleyball
Fourth round will begin on Saturday and finish on Monday, which will make it three days of entertaining volleyball starting with Cuneo versus Latina. Both teams have begun well the season with Gulinelli’s team at 8 points while coach Prandi (who has won everything at Cuneo) and his boys have gathered seven points with two wins and a tie-break loss. Latina will have Enrico Cester available for the first time as he was blocked by the paperwork. The highlights on Sunday will come from the derbys between Verona and Padova, and Modena and Piacenza. Coach Bagnoli will have at his disposal newcomer Richard Nemec and Matteo Martino. Only team left without a point, Roma travels to Vibo Valentia, who beat Belluno in the last round. Back from the World Club Championships, Trentino entertains Macerata in the big game of the weekend.
Fixtures
Round 4 Serie A1 Sustenium
Saturday October 15 at 5.30pm
Bre Banca Lannutti Cuneo – Andreoli Latina Live on Rai Sport 1
Live on streaming on http://www.raisport.rai.it/dl/raisport/multimedia/diretta.html
(Puecher-Sampaolo)
Sunday October 16 at 5.30pm
Marmi Lanza Verona – Fidia Padova Live on Rai Sport 1
Live streaming on http://www.raisport.rai.it/dl/raisport/multimedia/diretta.html
(Prandi-La Micela)
Sunday October 16 at 6pm
Sisley Belluno – Energy Resources San Giustino
(Satanassi-Cipolla)
CMC Ravenna – Acqua Paradiso Monza Brianza
(Padoan-Zucca)
Casa Modena – Copra Elior Piacenza
(Gnani-Vagni)
Tonno Callipo Vibo Valentia – M. Roma Volley
(Braico-Boris)
Monday October 17 at 8pm
Itas Diatec Trentino – Lube Banca Marche Macerata Live on Sportube.tv
(Santi-Saltalippi)
League table
Casa Modena 9, Lube Banca Marche Macerata 9, Itas Diatec Trentino 8, Bre Banca Lannutti Cuneo 8, Andreoli Latina 7, Tonno Callipo Vibo Valentia 5, Energy Resources San Giustino 5, Fidia Padova 3, Acqua Paradiso Monza Brianza 3, Marmi Lanza Verona 2, Sisley Belluno 2, Copra Elior Piacenza 1, CMC Ravenna1, M. Roma Volley 0
Bre Banca Lannutti Cuneo – Andreoli Latina
PAST ENCOUNTERS: 18
Hubert Henno (Bre Banca Lannutti Cuneo): “Latina is a team that is playing rather well in this beginning of season: they have won twice out of three and will come very determined to Cuneo. Definitely a tough game for us but we’ll play to win, as we always do. It will be up to us to impose our game, we’ll have to train well during the week to be ready for this encounter. We know such a team cannot be underestimated”.
Enrico Cester (Andreoli Latina): “I can’t wait to play. We’ll be facing a very strong team, which gives us motivation, we’ll see where we stand. We’ll try to give it our best shot. They are strong but not unbeatable. We’ll have our chance if we can contain them all in attack, especially Ngapeth, who I consider one of the best players around right now”.
Marmi Lanza Verona – Fidia Padova
PAST ENCOUNTERS: 10
Lorenzo Smerilli (Marmi Lanza Verona): “Padova is aiming to stay up like us. An important game for both teams. I hope to see a lot of supporters, I’m sure this will be a great game. The group is working very hard and all together. We know we have to get better and we try to do that in the gym every day. On Sunday against Latina, we did not do well but we’ll build on the good things done in the first two rounds, to try to get another positive result against Padova”.
Simone Roscini (ass.coach Fidia Padova): “The game against Verona will be very important but, given that it is only the fourth round, it would be pretentious to say it will be a decisive encounter. This will be a good game, I am sure of that. They have Kromm in attack who is in top form, but they have others too. There is Marco Meoni, who is still one of the best setters in the Italian league in my opinion. We are physically and mentally ready, we’ll put the competitive spirit required for such a game”.
Sisley Belluno – Energy Resources San Giustino
PAST ENCOUNTERS: 25
Roberto Piazza (coach Sisley Belluno): “We have made little improvement game after game, but I am not satisfied: at the end of the day, what matters are the results and after three rounds we have gathered far too little. On Sunday, Farina will be back and he will help everyone with his experience but we cannot hope that one single player can change the whole team. We have to learn from our mistakes and work hard, not put our heads down look ahead. San Giustino is strong, they have players like Conte, Rauwerdinl and Petkovic, who can hurt you. We’ll need to impose our game and give some satisfaction to our fans. We all need a result, we’re expecting a good performance from the team on Sunday”.
Andrea Bartoletti (Energy Resources San Giustino): “Belluno needs a bit of time to find its rhythm: new team, new city. They have to adapt to the changes. But Belluno is a tough team and on Sunday they’ll want at all cost a first victory they have been very close to get a couple of times already”.
CMC Ravenna – Acqua Paradiso Monza Brianza
PAST ENCOUNTERS: None
Antonio Babini (coach CMC Ravenna): “I am facing an important club for me, I have won two Cup winners Cup with them as a player. I will be happy to see again the Gabana family and Giulia, the daughter of the former President Marcello who was just a baby when I was in Montichiari. We have worked well this week, we finally have our full squad with Verhanneman who will be able to give us a hand if needed, even if he’s not hundred percent yet. This will be a difficult game in which my team will give its best as always”.
Marco Molteni (Acqua Paradiso Monza Brianza): “A complicated game ahead. They’ll be up for it, including the coach who has proved all its worth in his career. We have to play with character from the word go, to make them understand that we have what it takes to win it. We have to start off aggressive, that’s the only way we can impose our game. Our first two away games ended in two 3-0 defeats, now we have the possibility to sum up some points on our road games too and we have to make it”.
Casa Modena – Copra Elior Piacenza
PAST ENCOUNTERS: 22
Matteo Martino (Casa Modena): “Just the fact to be back after a long time out makes me really happy. After the first few days in the gym after the summer spent on sand, everything seemed big and strange to me. I have worked very hard in recent weeks, although, I obviously still have a lot to do. But I’m getting back into it bit by bit, getting the feel, the rhythm and the moves of the game. I am satisfied with how things are going for me and how I am settling in Modena. On Sunday we’ll have a difficult task because Piacenza has very strong players, especially in attack and at the net”.
Massimiliano Giaccardi (ass.coach Copra Elior Piacenza): “We are working hard to be at our best for Sunday’s game. We had a tough start to the season, playing against some of the top teams. And Modenais another one of them, they have been brilliant so far and they will surely aim high. We have improved our blocking, we are getting better and you could see the improvement in the game against Macerata, in which we won the first set and fought hard in the third. Overall, we are improving in every area of the game, but we have to keep working in order not to lose what we have acquired. We know for well how strong is Modena. In their last game, they were without middle blockers but the arrival of Nemec, player with great experience, will get them to another level”.
Tonno Callipo Vibo Valentia – M. Roma Volley
PAST ENCOUNTER: 4
Nikolay Nikolov (Tonno Callipo Vibo Valentia): “I think we’ll have to be very careful against Roma, given that it has not managed to get any points so far. I am certain they will be ready to fight to get the result they need. But it will depend a lot on ourselves, if we play like we have in the first three games, it won’t be easy for them. We’ll go for the win too: We need to play a good game as much as they do. I am convinced it will be a real battle”.
Alberto Cisolla (M. Roma Volley): “Our attitude has to be right: in case of difficulty, we all need to fight together. We need to make one step further, we are working hard to gel, and although it’s taking time, this will take us out of the tunnel. It’s true that we haven’t played well in the first three games, but we faced tough oppositions and in the last game against Cuneo, we have shown some improvements. So whoever thinks this is the game of our life has got it wrong. It is certainly a very important one, but we can make it. Vibo is in good shape, they’re playing excellent volleyball, it’s difficult to play there”.
Itas Diatec Trentino – Lube Banca Marche Macerata
PAST ENCOUNTERS: 30
Riccardo Michieletto (team manager Itas Diatec Trentino): “We’re facing a very tough task, we’re up against a top quality team and we have to deal with all the tiredness accumulated in Qatar, and the change of ball. Maybe it would have been better to play this game a little later but the fixture list did not give us much choice. Having said that, we don’t want to make excuses a priori. We’ll give our best in this big game for our fans too, it will probably be packed”.
Simone Parodi (Lube Banca Marche Macerata): “We’re all very curious to see what will happen on Monday when we face Trentino, the strongest team of the league. We’ll see where we stand. It’s kind of a challenge that tells you the truth about yourself. The aim will be to confirm all the good things done in the first three games of the league, in terms of results too”.
Serie A2 Sustenium
Round 4
The fourth round of the A2 begins on Saturday with Atripalda versus Molfetta, two teams of the B1 group C last season that managed to earn promotion. De Paula is doubtful because of a shoulder injury. On Sunday, Segrate will try to bounce back against Perugia following a poor loss against Molfetta. Perugiawon its last one home against Isernia. Club Italia and Città di Castello will try to make the court advantage count to stay top of the league. Bonitta’s team is up against Santa Croce, while Radici’s boys take on Castellana Grotte, led by new coach Vincenzo Di Pinto, who took over Monti. Third in the table and still unbeaten, Loreto entertains Cantù, which is still without a point. Same situation for Reggio Emilia, who brought in new middle blocker from Colombia Alex Moreno this week. But he will not be able to play this weekend in Corigliano, team beaten last week by Sora. The latter, who boasts the top scorer of the league in Kay Van Dijk (83 points) travels to Isernia. Finally, interesting encounter between Genova and Milan, who both won their latest game.
Saturday October 15 at 8.30pm
Sidigas Atripalda – Pallavolo Molfetta
(Cassarino-Gasparro)
Sunday October 16 at 4pm
Volley Segrate 1978 – Sir Safety Perugia Diretta Sportitalia 2
(Montanari-Piluso)
Sunday October 16 at 6pm
Carige Genova – CheBanca! Milano
(Goitre-Cardaci)
Cicchetti Isernia – Globo Banca Popolare del Frusinate Sora
(Bellini-Feriozzi)
Caffè Aiello Corigliano – Edilesse Conad Reggio Emilia
(Astengo-Andreoni)
Club Italia Roma – NGM Mobile S.Croce
(Valeriani-Chimento)
Energy Resources Carilo Loreto – Cassa Rurale Cantù
(Zavater-Bertoletti)
Gherardi SVI Città Di Castello – BCC-NEP Castellana Grotte
(Florian-Carrara)
League table
Club Italia Roma 8, Gherardi SVI Città Di Castello 8, Energy Resources Carilo Loreto 7, Globo Banca Pop. Frusinate Sora 7, Sir Safety Perugia 7, Volley Segrate 1978 6, CheBanca! Milano 6, NGM Mobile S.Croce 5, Pallavolo Molfetta 4, BCC-NEP Castellana Grotte 4, Carige Genova 4, Caffè Aiello Corigliano 3, Sidigas Atripalda 2, Cicchetti Isernia 1, Cassa Rurale Cantù 0, Edilesse Conad Reggio Emilia 0
