The three-set victory helped Conegliano get to 63 points (22 wins, one loss), increasing their lead over Scandicci, who have 56 (20 wins, three losses), to seven. With only three more regular-season matches yet to be played, they need to earn three more points to be definitely out of reach for their rivals.
Swedish star opposite Isabelle Haak had a tremendous performance in the Derby, topping all scorers with 27 points (25 kills, one block, one ace). Chinese outside hitter Zhu Ting added another 17 (14 kills, three blocks), while Olympic and world champion libero Monica De Gennaro earned the match's MVP award.
"It was a great match and the first set pretty much felt like two sets in one," De Gennaro said. "We never gave up because we know that it's not easy coming here and beating Scandicci in their stadium. We have three matches left, and we'll be ready for them."
Star opposite Ekaterina Antropova led Scandicci with 24 points (17 kills, four blocks, three aces). Besides her, American Olympic medalist outside hitter Avery Skinner was the only other player on the team to get to double digits in scoring, registering 11 points (ten kills, one block).
