All playoff spots in Italy now booked

The full set of quarterfinalists in Italy’s Lega Pallavolo Serie A1 Femminile has been determined. With one regular season leg to go, the last two spots among the top eight were booked by e-work Busto Arsizio and Volley Bergamo 1991. The results of the 25th leg played over the weekend, however, did not provide a definitive answer about the second relegated team, although Wash4Green Pinerolo are now very close to salvation at Bartoccini-Fortinfissi Perugia’s expense.

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The team from Busto Arsizio battled it out for their place in the playoffs with a hard-fought 3-2 (25-22, 24-26, 19-25, 25-22, 15-12) victory at Cuneo Granda S.Bernardo on Saturday. The two points gained pushed them up to seventh place in the current standings on a 12-13 win-loss ratio and 36 points. Three players shared the top scorer honours of the match. Outside hitter Lena Stigrot of e-work, who earned the Most Valuable Player award, as well as middle blocker Anna Stevenson and sub-in opposite Binto Diop of Cuneo produced 19 points each. E-work’s Cypriot middle Katerina Zakchaiou impressed with seven kill blocks for the winners.

“It was a difficult week due to our physical problems, but we fought until the end tonight,” said Stigrot. “I'm proud of the team, but congratulations also to Cuneo for the grit they showed on the court. We never gave up and we are very satisfied to have taken two points from such a difficult venue.”

The remaining two candidates for the playoff vacancies lost their matches, which meant that Bergamo also reserved their ticket to the playoffs, while Il Bisonte Florence dropped out of contention.

Second-placed Savino Del Bene Scandicci showed no mercy for visiting Bergamo on Sunday and hammered out a 3-0 (25-15, 25-14, 25-15) sweep with Chinese outside Zhu Ting leading the way with 19 points and Dutch middle Yvon Belien claiming the MVP award with 15, including a fantastic 10 kill blocks.

“I want the best of us girls to come out as early as next week, because we're going to play for position in the standings and then the playoffs. Let's not limit ourselves and believe in it,” said Bergamo’s middle and captain Federica Stufi.

Il Bisonte also failed to stand up to Vero Volley Milan on Saturday. The third-placed home team delivered a 3-0 (25-11, 25-23, 25-22) shutout of their visitors from Florence and put an end to their hopes for the quarterfinals. Ninth-placed Il Bisonte failed to narrow the five-point gap from the cut-off line and, with only a match to go, they can no longer catch up. Vero Volley’s Generation O star Magdalena Stysiak of Poland nailed a match-high 21 points, American legend Jordan Larson added another 11, while the MVP nomination went to libero Beatrice Parrocchiale, who handled well 81% of the opponents’ serves directed at her.

“We played against an opponent, who defended everything and attacked hard,” said Il Bisonte’s outside Dayana Kosareva. “It was difficult to get organized in defense and read their game. There is a lot of regret, as it is the first time in many years that Il Bisonte have not entered the playoffs and it is truly a disappointment, because we have important weapons.”

There was an interesting development near the bottom end of the table. Wash4Green Pinerolo and Bartoccini-Fortinfissi Perugia crossed the red line for relegation in opposite directions. On Sunday, Wash4Green achieved a 3-1 (25-17, 26-28, 25-21, 25-19) away victory at Trasportipesanti Casalmaggiore and climbed to 12th place on 19 points, while the squad from Perugia suffered a 3-0 (25-19, 25-20, 25-20) loss at fourth-placed Reale Mutua Fenera Chieri and dropped to 13th on 17 points. That means that who will join bottom-of-the-table CBF Balducci HR Macerata on the way to the second division will be decided in the last leg. While Bartoccini-Fortinfissi must take the three points at home against reigning club world champions, defending Italian titleholders and regular season winners Prosecco Doc Imoco Conegliano to save some hope for survival, all Wash4green need is to win two sets against visiting Reale Mutua Feneri on Saturday.

Captain and opposite Valentina Zago was the big heroine for Wash4green on Sunday, leading the team to victory with 28 points, including three aces and four blocks, to earn the MVP honour. Her counterpart on Trasportipesanti’s side, Bulgaria’s Emiliya Dimitrova, scored 24 times in the match, all in attack, while middle Laura Melandri piled up as many as 10 kill blocks towards an 18-point tally.

“Certainly there was a lot of desire, because all the work we have done and are doing is finally bringing results,” said Zago. “We are very happy now, but until the last ball falls in the last game we will keep our feet on the ground. This victory is beautiful and it helped us a lot, so I congratulate all my teammates.”

In Reale Mutua Feneri’s win over Bartoccini-Fortinfissi, Belgian opposite and captain Kaja Grobelna led the scorers with 16 points, one more than French teammate Helena Cazaute, who took the MVP nomination.

In the other two games of the 25th leg, fifth-placed Igor Gorgonzola Novara claimed a 3-1 (16-25, 25-21, 25-20, 25-21) win at Megabox Ondulati Del Savio Vallefoglia, while Imoco, with a lot of their main players resting, mastered a 3-0 (25-15, 25-22, 25-21) home win over the doomed team from Macerata.

The regular season will come to an end on Saturday, April 8, when the matches of the 26th leg take place.

Lega Pallavolo Serie A1 Femminile’s 25th leg schedule:

Apr 8, 20:30 local (18:30 UTC): Bartoccini-Fortinfissi Perugia v Prosecco Doc Imoco Conegliano

Apr 8, 20:30 local (18:30 UTC): e-work Busto Arsizio v Vero Volley Milan

Apr 8, 20:30 local (18:30 UTC): Il Bisonte Florence v Savino Del Bene Scandicci

Apr 8, 20:30 local (18:30 UTC): Wash4Green Pinerolo v Reale Mutua Fenera Chieri

Apr 8, 20:30 local (18:30 UTC): Igor Gorgonzola Novara v Cuneo Granda S.Bernardo

Apr 8, 20:30 local (18:30 UTC): CBF Balducci HR Macerata v Megabox Ondulati Del Savio Vallefoglia

Apr 8, 20:30 local (18:30 UTC): Volley Bergamo 1991 v Trasportipesanti Casalmaggiore

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