Playoff bracket lined up; Wash4Green survive in A1

Volley Bergamo 1991 stepped a spot up in the final regular season standings with a win in the last leg in Lega Pallavolo Serie A1 Femminile to avoid a clash with table toppers Prosecco Doc Imoco Conegliano in the playoff bracket. As the 26th leg was played on Saturday, all quarterfinal match-ups were lined up, Wash4Green Pinerolo kept their place in A1 for next season at the expense of Bartoccini-Fortinfissi Perugia, who were relegated, while Megabox Ondulati Del Savio Vallefoglia took pole position for the start of the race for the CEV Challenge Cup quota.

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With a 24-point match high from American outside hitter Khalia Lanier, including two aces and a block, Bergamo took a 3-1 (26-24, 26-24, 18-25, 25-17) home victory over Trasportipesanti Casalmaggiore. Brazilian opposite Lorrayna Da Silva added another 23, including three blocks, and was named Most Valuable Player of the match.

“This is Bergamo; this is the great heart of this team,” Lorrayna said. “Today we had fun and we went back to showing the beautiful volleyball that allowed us to get to the playoffs. We are gaining confidence and now we don't want to stop anymore.”

Meanwhile, e-work Busto Arsizio lost at home to Vero Volley Milan, which meant that Bergamo could overtake them in the standings to finish seventh on 37 points, below sixth-placed Trasportipesanti on set ratio and above eighth-placed e-work by a point. Vero Volley produced a 3-0 (25-22, 25-11, 25-19) clean slate, with a 14-point match high from American opposite Jordan Thompson, named MVP of the match. The team from Milan finished third on 61 points and will face the club from Casalmaggiore in one of the quarterfinal playoffs.

Bergamo will take on second-placed Savino Del Bene Scandicci in another, while the squad from Busto Arsizio will have to deal with an encounter with reigning club world champions and defending Italian titleholders Imoco. On Saturday, Savino Del Bene had a tough “visit” to their home venue, Palazzo Wanny, but managed to gain a 3-2 (25-21, 25-14, 20-25, 24-26, 15-7) victory and hold on to the runner-up position on 63 points. 20-year-old Russian opposite Ekaterina Antropova hammered out a leg high of 28 points, including three aces and four blocks, backed up by Chinese star Zhu Ting, who scored 26 points, including three blocks, and earned the MVP nomination.

“We must be very happy tonight, but above all very happy for this championship run and for this second place, which has been achieved for the second time in the history of this club, a second place with only five defeats and many points collected,” said Savino De Bene’s coach Massimo Barbolini.

The fourth quarterfinal will be disputed by fourth-placed Reale Mutua Fenera Chieri and fifth-placed Igor Gorgonzola Novara. Both teams won their last regular season matches on Saturday. Igor took a 3-1 (21-25, 25-19, 25-21, 25-17) home victory over Cuneo Granda S.Bernardo, while Reale Mutua Fenera managed a 3-1 (25-20, 25-21, 20-25, 25-23) away win at Wash4Green, who were under threat of relegation. Despite the defeat, the team from Pinerolo survived in the league for next season, thanks to Imoco.

Isabelle Haak led Imoco to a 3-0 (25-21, 25-15, 25-20) away victory in Perugia to doom Bartoccini-Fortinfissi to relegation. The Swedish Generation O star was the best scorer of the match with 17 points and took the MVP recognition.

Wash4green finished 12th on 19 points and will join the battles for the Challenge Cup quota, while Bartoccini-Fortinfissi were stuck in 13th on 17 to join 14th-placed CBF Balducci HR Macerata (11 points) on the way down to Serie A2.

“This salvation is almost a victory for us,” said Wash4green’s captain and opposite Valentina Zago. “I am proud of all the team, staff and club. We deserved it because it's been a difficult year and I'm really happy. We struggled and it took us a while to get going, also thanks to the injuries. Then the results arrived. We were working well and it showed. Our coach has always supported us and given us great strength even when we were perhaps a little discouraged. We too, despite the defeats, have remained united, which makes this salvation on the last day is even more beautiful.”

Megabox Ondulati Del Savio Vallefoglia mastered a 3-0 (25-22, 26-24, 25-17) sweep in Macerata in the opponents’ last match of the season to finish ninth on 30 points and more wins than 10th-placed Il Bisonte and assume pole position for the upcoming first phase of the race for the Challenge Cup ticket to be joined also by 11th-placed Cuneo and 12th-placed Wash4green, and later by the four quarterfinal losers.

Both the playoffs and the run for the Challenge Cup spot are set to start next weekend, April 15 and 16.

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