The triumph over their closest chasers in the sixth leg of the second round gave Conegliano a nine-point lead (54 to 45) over Scandicci, paving the way for them to head into the playoffs as the top-seeded team. Their situation is even more comfortable because they played only 18 matches so far, while Scandicci have played 19 and have only seven more in their schedule before the end of the regular season.
Conegliano’s ‘ Big Three’ of outside hitters Zhu Ting and Gabriela ‘Gabi’ Guimarães and opposite Isabella Haak stepped up for them against Scandicci, combining for 49 points. The Chinese superstar led the way with 17 points (13 kills, three blocks, one ace), while the Brazilian national team captain, who took home the MVP award, and the Swedish scoring machine tallied 16 each.
“We wanted very much to show our game against a strong rival like Scandicci on the road and that resulted in this great victory,” Gabi reacted. “I think that we didn’t play our best in the first set, especially with blocking and defense, but after that, we were able to perform in the way we wanted. We’re having a great season but we want to keep improving.”