Superlega 2023

SuperLega semis continue with key matches on Wednesday

After losing the opening matches on the road on Sunday, Monza and Milano will try to level things at home – watch live on VBTV

Published 12:36, 02 Apr 2024

Monza Trentino 0204

With the fans on their side, Monza will try to even the series against defending champions Trentino (Photo: SuperLega)

After an exciting start on Sunday, the semifinals of the 2023-2024 SuperLega Credem Banca continue on Wednesday, with the second matches of both best-of-five series taking place in the Northern region of the country.

After dropping their first-leg matches to Itas Trentino and Sir Susa Vim Perugia respectively on the road, Mint Vero Volley Monza and Allianz Milano will count on the support of their home fans to try and level their series. Both matches are set to start at 20:30 local time (19:30 GMT).

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

Mint Vero Volley Monza vs. Itas Trentino

The series between Monza and Trentino started with a strong performance from the defending champions, who made use of their homecourt advantage to get things going with an emphatic 3-0 victory. It was the third Trentino victory over Monza in four matches this season and the 28th triumph in 32 duels over the years.

One of the keys for Monza to get a better result on Wednesday will be slowing down Trentino’s main hitters Alessandro Michieletto, Daniele Lavia and Kamil Rychlicki, who combined to produce 47 points on Sunday.

The team from Monza, which won silver medals at both the Coppa Italia and the CEV Challenge Cup this season, could also use more points from Canadian opposite Arthur Szwarc and Japanese outside hitter Ran Takahashi, who tallied three and nine points respectively in the first match.

"We'll need to do everything a little bit better than we did on Sunday and we have to trust our quality in any situation. Trentino are a very strong team but we can be competitive against them, especially playing at home. We have had big crowds supporting us here all season and we count on their energy and passion again." Monza's head coach Massimo Eccheli
"Sunday's victory was very important, but we all know that on Wednesday things will be more difficult for us. This series against Monza will be very tough and we'll need to overcome the challenges that will come up every match. Being consistent is a big goal for us and we showed we can do it on Sunday." Trentino's head coach Fabio Soli

Allianz Milano vs. Sir Susa Vim Perugia

The series between Milano and Perugia had a more balanced start, with the reigning world champions prevailing 3-1 on Sunday. The result marked the first victory of Perugia over their rivals in Italian League matches after four defeats and had a special meaning for the Red Devils, who were eliminated by Milano in the quarterfinals of last season’s SuperLega after going undefeated in the regular season.

Strong performances from Tunisian opposite Wassim Ben Tara, who scored 22 points, and Ukrainian outside hitter Oleh Plotnytskyi, who added 18, paved the way for Perugia’s first-leg road victory.

Milano got 13 points from Belgian opposite Ferre Reggers, but will probably need more from outside hitters Matey Kaziyski (ten points) and Yuki Ishikawa (ten) and middle blocker Agustin Loser (eight) to challenge Perugia on Wednesday.

"Sunday's match was very difficult for us. We didn't have a good start and they took full advantage of it. We were better from the second set on and got more competitive. We never give up and will need to show it in this series as it's going to be very challenging. For this second match, it's important that we start playing well from the first point because you can't give anything to a team like Perugia." Milano's middle blocker Agustin Loser
"The semifinals of the Italian League are always difficult, regardless of the opponent across the net. We know Milano and their quality and we expect a long series. We just scored the first point and we need to keep going." Perugia's libero Max Colaci

Playoffs from 5th-10th begin

The playoffs to determine the final positions from 5th to 10th, reuniting the teams that were eliminated in the quarterfinals and the ones who ranked ninth and tenth in the regular season, will begin this week.

SuperLega Credem Banca 2023-2024: full schedule and results

Two matches will be held on Wednesday, with Rana Verona and Pallavolo Padova playing first, at 19:00 local time (18:00 GMT), and Cisterna Volley and Gas Sales Bluenergy Piacenza meeting later, at 20:30 local time (19:30 GMT). On Thursday, Cucine Lube Civitanova will face Valsa Group Modena, at 20:30 local time (19:30 GMT).

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