SuperLega playoff match-ups set

Italy’s SuperLega Credem Banca regular season is over and the four quarterfinal match-ups for the playoffs are set. Sunday’s 22^nd leg offered a number of interesting results. In the only direct battle between teams vying for better starting positions, Cucine Lube Civitanova achieved an away shutout of Rana Verona, pushing the opponents from fifth down to seventh place in the final regular standings. That was the only last-minute change in the table and all the others kept their order despite the upsets the two leaders, Itas Trentino Trento and Sir Susa Vim Perugia, suffered. Meanwhile, Farmitalia Catania said good-bye to the SuperLega, ending their rookie season on a positive note, with a win.

So in the quarterfinal playoffs starting on Wednesday, Itas Trentino Trento will meet Valsa Group Modena, Sir Susa Vim Perugia will be challenged by Rana Verona, Gas Sales Bluenergy Piacenza will face Allianz Milan, and Cucine Lube Civitanova will take on Mint Vero Volley Monza.

• Watch Italy’s SuperLega Credem Banca live and on demand on VBTV.

Led by Bulgarian outside hitter Aleksandar Nikolov as the top scorer with 16 points, including two aces, Cucine Lube Civitanova mastered a 3-0 (27-25, 25-19, 25-22) away win over Rana Verona and secured the fourth place in the final standings on 40 points and a 15-7 win-loss record. Turkish opposite Adis Lagumdzija fired three aces to finish with 15 points and received the MVP nomination. Lube’s Cuban outside Marlon Yant added another 12 points, three of which in blocking. For Verona, who dropped two spots to seventh place on 36 and 13-9, Malian opposite Noumory Keita and Slovenian outside Rok Mozic reached the double digits with 11 and 10 points, respectively.

“It wasn't easy to play in such a full hall, with the whole crowd pushing our opponents - one more reason to add value to our victory, which was of great importance for the standings. We will enter the playoffs as the fourth-placed team, which means that we will have the opportunity to play the first match of the quarterfinals at home. It is an advantage that we will absolutely have to be able to exploit,” Lagumdzija commented.

In Sunday’s only five-setter, Allianz Milan squeezed out a 3-2 (25-22, 25-27, 17-25, 25-23, 15-13) home victory over second-placed Sir Susa Vim Perugia, reigning club world champions and Coppa Italia and Supercoppa Italiana trophy holders. It was the third meeting between these two teams this season and the third time they resolve their issues in a tie-breaker set. The win lifted Allianz to sixth place on 38 and 12-10, while Sir finished regular season runners-up on 51 and 16-6. In front of over five thousand spectators on the stands, Japanese outside Yuki Ishikawa led the winners with 20 points, including three aces, and earned the MVP award. Belgian opposite Ferre Reggers and Argentinean middle blocker Agustin Loser added 14 and 13 points, respectively, while Sir’s Cuban-born Polish star Wilfredo Leon delivered a match-high 25 points, including six aces.

Gas Sales Bluenergy Piacenza secured the third position in the playoff grid with a 3-1 (25-23, 24-26, 25-17, 25-15) home victory over Valsa Group Modena to improve to 43 and 13-9. Eighth-placed Modena finished the regular season on 27 and 11-11. Gas Sales’ opposite Yuri Romano and Modena’s Belarusian outside Uladzislau Davyskiba shared the top-scorer honours with 14 points apiece, while their counterparts, Modena’s Russian opposite Maksim Sapozhkov and Gas Sales’ Brazilian outside Ricardo Lucarelli added another 11 points each.

Mint Vero Volley Monza climbed up to fifth place on 39 and 13-9 after a 3-0 (25-22, 25-22, 25-18) shutout of visiting Cisterna Volley, who finished ninth, just below the cut-off for the playoffs, on 23 and 7-15. Canadian outside Stephen Maar topped the match chart with an 18-point contribution to Vero Volley’s success.

Defending champions and regular season winners Itas Trentino Trento could afford giving some of their main players some rest as the team welcomed Pallavolo Padova Padua for the last-leg game. Led by outside hitter Luca Porro with 18 points, Padova took advantage of the situation and earned a prestigious 3-1 (25-23, 21-25, 25-19, 25-20) away victory to finish the regular season on a high note and in 10^th place on 21 and 8-14.

Already relegated SuperLega rookies Farmitalia Catania bid their farewell to the top division on a positive note as well, claiming their second win of the season. With 20 points from French outside Luka Basic, they celebrated a 3-1 (25-18, 25-20, 24-26, 25-21) home victory over Gioiella Prisma Taranto. Prisma survived in the SuperLega as the 11^th-placed team on 14 and 3-19, leaving Farmitalia in 12^th on 9 and 2-20.

The quarterfinal playoffs will be played in a best-of-five format, with the first matches scheduled on Wednesday.

SuperLega Credem Banca 2023-2024 quarterfinals – 1st leg: 
Mar 6, 20:30 local (19:30 UTC): Cucine Lube Civitanova v Mint Vero Volley Monza
Mar 6, 20:30 local (19:30 UTC): Gas Sales Bluenergy Piacenza v Allianz Milan
Mar 6, 20:30 local (19:30 UTC): Sir Susa Vim Perugia v Rana Verona
Mar 6, 20:30 local (19:30 UTC): Itas Trentino Trento v Valsa Group Modena

SuperLega Credem Banca 2023-2024: full schedule and results

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