Milano and Imoco make it to Lega’s Final Four

The lineup of the 2023-2024 Lega Pallavolo Femminile Serie A Tigotà semifinals is almost complete now as Allianz Vero Volley Milano and Prosecco Doc Imoco Conegliano triumphed in their quarterfinal series on Sunday, joining Savino Del Bene Scandicci in the Final Four.

While Milano and Scandicci are set to face each other in the semifinals, which start next weekend, Imoco will need to wait until Wednesday, when Igor Gorgonzola Novara and Reale Mutua Fenera Chieri meet for a third and final time in the quarterfinals, to know their opponents in the second round of the playoffs in Italy.

• Watch Lega Pallavolo Femminile Serie A1 matches live on VBTV.

After struggling to triumph in the tie-breaker against Wash4Green Pinerolo in the opening leg of their best-of-three series on Wednesday, Milano looked like an entirely different team on Sunday, securing a strong 3-1 (25-13, 22-25, 25-16, 25-21) victory in Villafranca Piemonte to make it to the Italian League semifinals for a fifth-straight season.

Star opposite Paola Egonu came up big for Milano, scoring a match-high 27 points (20 kills, five aces, two blocks), the same amount as the team’s second and third-best scorers, outside hitter Myriam Sylla (14) and Héléna Cazaute (13) combined.

“We’re very happy that we advanced to the semifinals,” middle blocker Raphaela Folie said. “Tonight’s match was a real challenge because Pinerolo had a lot of support and were really determined. But we got to fix some of the things that didn’t work well for us in the first match and secure the win.”

Swiss opposite Maja Storck was the only Pinerolo player to get to double digits in scoring, leaving the court with 15 points (13 kills, two aces).

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Imoco remain perfect against Roma

The semifinal series between Imoco and Roma Volley Club was entirely dominated by the defending champions, who won the two first matches of their best-of-three series without dropping a single set – they won 3-0 (25-17, 25-13, 25-21) on the road in the Italian capital on Sunday to advance. The Panthers have never missed the semifinals since joining the Italian elite in 2012-2013 and will be among the top teams in the league for an 11th straight season.

Star opposite Isabelle Haak was a key name in Imoco’s 28^th victory in the Italian League this season, leaving the court with a match-high 22 points (15 kills, six blocks, one ace). Middle blocker Marina Lubian, with 11 points, and outside hitters Kathryn Plummer and Kelsey Cook, with ten each, also produced in double digits for the Panthers.

“We were ready for a very tough match because we remember how hard it was to face Roma in their stadium during the regular season,” Haak commented. “But today we started very well and did an excellent job in terms of controlling the match. We limited our errors and worked as a team.”

On Roma’s side, Albanian opposite Erblira Bici was the main individual standout, with 14 points (11 kills, two blocks, one ace).

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