Lucia Bosetti scored just three points in Unet E-Work Busto Arsizio’s 3-0 victory over Delta Despar Trentino last Sunday in the Lega Pallavolo vivo Serie A1 Femminile, but deservedly took home the MVP award and was celebrated by her teammates at the end of the match.

What could have looked like a fairly ordinary performance to anyone just looking at the stats sheet was actually one of the player's best performances ever. The 32-year-old veteran stepped up to help her team in a very difficult moment.

With setters Jordyn Poulter and Sofia Monza both sidelined due to injuries, the team had no players available in the position until Bosetti, usually an outside hitter, volunteered to play the position. She got the job done and helped Busto secure an important victory with the Italian League regular season approaching its end.

“It was a difficult week for us and what made me the proudest was to see how the team united to handle the challenge of not having setters,” the 1.75m-tall Bosetti said. “I made myself available and just tried to do my best. The setter role is a very specific one and I’m glad it all went well.”

Head coach Marco Musso made a few adjustments to his team to facilitate Bosetti’s task. He moved opposite Camilla Mingardi, the league’s second-best scorer, to the outside hitter position and used Romanian outside hitter Adelina Budai-Ungureanu in her place, to strengthen the team’s serve-receive system.

But none of that would have worked if it hadn't been for Bosetti, a London 2012 Olympian, a 2011 FIVB Volleyball World Cup winner and a 2018 FIVB Volleyball Women’s World Championship silver medallist with the Italian national team.

“This is a result that makes us really happy,” Musso commented. “It shows that even when facing the greatest difficulty a volleyball team can ever have, we can always adapt and bring something more to the court. We had a different serve-receive system with Mingardi in a different position and it worked really well. We always knew Lucia was an incredible talent and she proved it once again. She’s great at mentally getting in the rhythm of the match and that helped.”

Busto are currently ranked fifth in the Italian League with 47 points (15 wins, eight losses) and will be away to Acqua & Sapone Roma Volley Club on Saturday.

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Lega Pallavolo Femminile Serie A1
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