Leon blasts Perugia to top of Italy league

Cuba-born Poland international Wilfredo Leon scored a match high of 17 points, including three aces and two blocks, as Sir Safety Conad Perugia outblocked 13 to 5 against Gas Sales Bluenergy Piacenza for a 3-0 (25-21, 25-22, 25-14) sweep to climb to the top of the Italian men's league after midweek action on Wednesday.

Argentina's Sebastian Sole added another four blocks and attacked for 60% (6/10) to round off Perugia's win.

Perugia are now top of the table, on par with defending champions Cucine Lube Civitanova with 28 points, but on better set ratio - plus a match to spare.

Lube and Itas Trentino had played their own Round 11 match last month, beating Vero Volley Monza and Consar RCM Ravenna respectively, both in straight sets.

Lube and Trentino are currently in Brazil, competing in the 2021 FIVB Men's Club World Championship.

• Watch all matches of the Italian men's and women's leagues, live or on demand, on VolleyballWorld.tv.
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In other midweek action for Round 11, Leo Shoes PerkinElmer Modena dispatched Allianz of Milan 3-0 (25-17, 25-20, 25-15) and overtake both Monza and Piacenza and shoot up to fourth place in the standings.

Nimir Abdel-Aziz with 15 points (four aces and one block) and Earvin Ngapeth (three aces and three blocks) of France with 14 spearheaded Monza as they cruised to their fifth consecutive win in the league, while Brazil's Bruno Rezende masterfully distributed the play to earn the MVP of the match award.

Meanwhile, Kioene Padova shut out Verona Volley 3-0 (25-21, 25-16, 25-21) at home, on the back of a match high of 16 points (including three aces) by Mattia Bottolo plus another four aces by Jan Zimmermann of Germany as Padova outserved Verona 12 to 2.

And Gioiella Prisma Taranto brought down Top Volley Cisterna 3-1 (26-28, 25-22, 29-27, 27-25). The match could have gone either way, but Taranto blew a set point in the first, and Cisterna failed to convert two in the third and as many as five in the fourth when the home side came back from 20-24 down to finish off the match.

Taranto prevailed despite an incredible blocking performance of Cisterna that yielded 23 stuffs - eight by Canada's Stephen Maar and six by Elia Bossi (to the hosts' 13 - seven by Gabriele di Martino).

Maar was top scorer of the match on 24 points, with Giulio Sabbi hauling in Taranto's high of 22.

Get all the details from all the matches of the Italian League here.

The League continues next weekend with Round 12 - the penultimate round of the Regular Season - with all matches streamed live on VolleyballWorld.tv.