Playing with mostly a reserve formation, they came from behind twice to beat Pinerolo
Published 10:45, 25 Feb 2024
Malual faces Pinerolo's block during the match (Photo: LVF)
Allianz Vero Volley Milano recovered from back-to-back losses and returned to the winning side of a match in the 2023-2024 Lega Pallavolo Femminile Serie A Tigotà as the eighth leg of the second round of the regular season was completed on Sunday.
With most of their stars on the bench, the team from Northern Italy trailed twice in the match, but showed strength at the end to beat Wash4Green Pinerolo in the tie-breaker and secure an important road win in Piemonte.
Milano’s head coach Marco Gaspari kept opposite Paola Egonu, outside hitters Myriam Sylla and Nika Daalderop and middle blockers Raphaela Folie and Dana Rettke off the court during the entire match, trusting the reserves to produce a 3-2 (23-25, 25-18, 22-25, 25-19, 15-10) win over Pinerolo.
The result allowed Milano to celebrate a victory for the first time in three Italian League matches as they had dropped games to Prosecco Doc Imoco Conegliano and Igor Gorgonzola Novara in their most recent encounters. Milano are currently in second place in the standings with 51 points (18 wins) and just five more matches to be played before the start of the playoffs.
With Egonu out of action, Milano’s young opposite Malak Malual stepped up, leading the team with 26 points (23 kills, three blocks), her highest mark in the season. French outside hitter Héléna Cazaute also had a great performance, leaving the court with 21 points (18 kills, two aces, one block).
“We have the quarterfinals of the Champions League coming up and this was an important victory,” Malual reflected. “It was a match of ups and downs and I felt we were a little bit sloppy with some of our actions, which made things difficult for us. But I’m pleased that we stepped up at the end and got the win.”
Pinerolo, who added an important point in their race to qualify for the quarterfinals, counted on brilliant performances from outside hitter Indre Sorokaite and middle blockers Yasmina Akrari and Tessa Polder to challenge Milano – they scored 17, 16 and 13 points, respectively.
Reale Mutua Fenera Chieri also earned an important result over the weekend, beating Itas Trentino 3-1 (29-27, 21-25, 25-20, 25-14) on the road to collect three more points. Now in fifth place with 39 points, they just need to secure one more point before the end of the regular season to secure their spot in the postseason.
The match had one of the most impressive blocking performances of the season as Chieri’s German middle blocker Camilla Weitzel left the court with nine stuffs in her 12-point output. American outside hitter Avery Skinner led all scorers with 27 points, all in kills.
Lega Femminile - Match Schedule and Results
Also on Sunday, leaders Imoco swept Volley Bergamo 3-0 (25-17, 25-14, 25-21), while Uyba Volley Busto Arsizio topped Il Bisonte Firenze 3-1 (25-16, 25-20, 20-25, 25-18).
The leg started on Sunday, when Savino Del Bene Scandicci beat Honda Olivero S. Bernardo Cuneo 3-0 (25-14, 25-15, 25-14), Novara defeated Megabox Ondulati Savio Vallefoglia 3-1 (21-25, 25-20, 25-15, 25-13) and Roma Volley Club dominated Trasportipesanti Casalmaggiore to a 3-1 (17-25, 25-23, 25-17, 25-22) victory.
The ninth leg of the second round of the Italian League will take place next weekend, with two matches on Saturday and five on Sunday.
Quick links:
Lega Pallavolo Femminile Serie A1 Tigotà
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