The Italian men’s SuperLega Credem Banca playoffs did not fail to surprise in the second leg of the quarterfinal stage. Playoff rookie Cisterna Volley produced a sensational win over regular season winner, club world silver medalist and reigning European champion Itas Trentino Trento to level the series. As the second leg of the quarterfinals unfolded on Sunday evening, Cucine Lube Civitanova also managed to get back at Allianz Milan and tie their playoff.
Superlega 2024/25
Cisterna shocks Trentino, Lube ties series with Allianz
Recap of Italian SuperLega 2nd-leg quarterfinal matches
Published 06:11, 17 Mar 2025
Cisterna players celebrate their historic success
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In their first ever playoff match at home, Cisterna delighted their fans with a 3-1 (25-21, 27-25, 19-25, 26-24) victory over mighty Trentino to tie best-of-five playoff at one win each. This historic result marked Cisterna’s first ever playoff win and first ever win over this opponent. In front of a sell-out crowd of 2,400 spectators, the home team showed a solid performance on all counts, while as many as four of their players reached the double digits in scoring.
French opposite Theo Faure led the way with 17 points. Turkish outside hitter Efe Bayram put away two aces and a kill block towards a 15-point tally. Middle blocker Daniele Mazzone raised four stuffs to finish with 14 points, while Spanish outside Jordi Ramon added another 12. The Most Valuable Player recognition went to libero Domenico Pace. Outside Alessandro Michieletto emerged as the top scorer of the match with 25 points for Trentino, including four aces. Luxembourgish opposite added another 15 points, while Slovenian middle Jan Kozamernik and outside Daniele Lavia finished with 10 points each.
“Today we had a great performance, we always stayed in the match holding our own against a great team like Itas Trentino, a team that is certainly among the strongest in the world,” commented Cisterna’s Serbian middle blocker Aleksandar Nedeljkovic. “I am really happy with how we managed to interpret the match, expressing our game and finding this fantastic victory. We have shown that everything is possible and we will continue to give our all in the next matches to take our chances.”
Cucine Lube Civitanova also leveled their quarterfinal series against Allianz Milan. After the five-set upset they suffered in the first leg at home, Lube found redemption in an emphatic 3-0 (25-16, 25-16, 25-20) sweep of the second game on the road. Turkish opposite Adis Lagumdzija was above all on the court and contributed 19 points, including two aces and a block, towards his team’s victory, earning the MVP award.
Unlike Lube, Rana Verona failed to get back at Gas Sales Bluenergy Piacenza for the home defeat they suffered in the first leg. Taking full advantage of playing at home in the second, Gas Sales doubled their lead in the series and are now just a win away from the semifinals. Despite five aces within an 18-point match high from Verona’s Malian scoring machine Noumory Keita, the squad from Piacenza hammered out a 3-0 (25-22, 25-20, 25-18) shutout of their visitors. The home team was led by MVP Ramazan Efe Mandiraci. The Turkish outside also fired five aces to finish with 15 points. His cross-court teammate Stephen Maar of Canada added another 15, while opposite Yuri Romano finished with 10. With this game, the SuperLega playoffs reached an important milestone. It was playoff match number 1,000 in history.
Defending champion Sir Susa Vim Perugia left no room for surprises in their away match at Valsa Group Modena and mastered a 3-0 (25-21, 28-26, 25-15) victory to take a 2-0 lead in the series. The MVP award went to the best scorer of the match, Sir’s Ukrainian outside Oleh Plotnytskyi, who contributed 18 points, including two blocks and an ace. Tunisian opposite Wassim Ben Tara added another 11, while Cuban outside Jose Gutierrez and Austrian opposite Paul Buchegger led Modena with 14 points apiece.
The third leg of the quarterfinals will be played on March 22 and 23.
SuperLega Credem Banca 2024-2025 quarterfinal playoffs, 3rd leg:
Mar 22, 21:00 local (20:00 UTC): Rana Verona v Gas Sales Bluenergy Piacenza
Mar 23, 15:30 local (14:30 UTC): Itas Trentino Trento v Cisterna Volley
Mar 23, 18:00 local (17:00 UTC): Cucine Lube Civitanova v Allianz Milan
Mar 23, 19:00 local (18:00 UTC): Sir Susa Vim Perugia v Valsa Group Modena
