Carli-Lloyd
After winning the first match in four sets on April 7, Busto Arsizio could not rally in the second match in a 25-27, 25-23, 25-17, 20-25, 15-7 loss on April 9. Lloyd set the squad to a 39 kill percent and added five points with three blocks and two kills. Busto Arsizio bounced back from the setback with a convincing 25-17, 25-16, 25-17 victory over Villa Cortese on April 11 to take a 2-1 lead in the series.
Lloyd scored five her team’s 18 blocks in the match as Busto Arsizio hit for a 44 kill percent and .273 hitting efficiency. However, Busto Arsizio could not keep the momentum in the fourth set with a 25-22, 25-23, 25-18 loss on April 13 to force a deciding fifth match.
Lloyd set the offense to a 32 kill percent, but Busto Arsizio was out-blocked 14-5 in the match. As the entire series was back-and-forth, so was the deciding fifth match before Busto Arsizio came away with a 25-14, 28-30, 25-15, 23-25, 16-14 victory on April 15.
Busto Arsizio rallied from a 12-11 deficit in the fifth set to win its second major title in less than a month (won the CEV Cup on March 31). In the clinching match, Lloyd set the squad to a 40 kill percent and a .338 hitting efficiency while adding a kill and block. With the victory, Busto Arsizio captured its first Italian Serie A1 title in its first-ever appearance in the final round.
