With 39 points (12 wins) earned during the season, Chieri are currently in fifth place in the standings. They have a 15-point lead over ninth-placed Il Bisonte Firenze, who have 24 points (nine wins), and earning another one will put them out of reach for their chasers in the regular season.
Chieri could, in fact, book their spot in the postseason even with a 3-0 or 3-1 home loss to Scandicci. That will happen if Firenze drop their home match against Igor Gorgonzola Novara, set to take place also on Sunday, at 17:00 local time (16:00 GMT).
Chieri enter Sunday’s match coming from three consecutive victories, having triumphed in both encounters of their CEV Cup semifinal series against Paris and in an Italian League duel with Itas Trentino.
“Scandicci are an excellent team and will be very tough opponents,” said Chieri’s opposite Martha Anthouli. “Against a team that good, we need to serve well and keep our passing and our offense consistent – in short, we’ll need to be efficient in every fundamental. We’ll stick to the coach’s game plan and give our 100%.”
