Allianz Milan finally pushed themselves up from the bottom of the table in Italy’s SuperLega Credem Banca by claiming their first win since the start of the season with a home shutout of last season’s runners-up Cucine Lube Civitanova in a fourth-leg game on Sunday. Defending champions Trentino Itas Trento remained the only unbeaten team in the league after their victory in the clash of the undefeated with Gas Sales Bluenergy Piacenza. Meanwhile, rising Slovenian star Rok Mozic hammered out 29 points to help bring Rana Verona back on the winning track after a three-match losing streak.
Superlega 2023
Allianz shut out Lube for season’s first win
A recap of Italian SuperLega’s fourth-leg matches
Published 07:34, 13 Nov 2023
Reggers, Loser and Kaziyski raise a three-man block against Nikolov
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Allianz took advantage of Lube’s abundant unforced errors and a 15-point contribution from 20-year-old Belgian opposite Ferre Reggers to master a 3-0 (25-21, 27-25, 25-21) sweep of their home match with the team from Civitanova. Reggers’s tally included a 65% success rate in attack, one ace and one block, enough to earn him the MVP award. 39-year-old Bulgarian star Matey Kaziyski added 11 points, including the match winner, while Argentinean middle blocker Agustin Loser impressed with four stuffs towards a 10-point tally. Lube’s Turkish opposite Adis Lagumdzija produced a match-high 15 points, including two aces and two kill blocks, while another Bulgarian, 19-year-old outside hitter Aleksandar Nikolov, spiked at a 59% success rate to finish with 15 points to his name.
On a 1-3 win-loss record and 4 points, the team from Milan rose to 10th place in the current standings, just a point below Lube, who are sixth on 2-2 and 5.
I'm back and I'm really happy, as it wasn't easy to stay out for a month due to the injury,” said Allianz’s Italian setter Paolo Porro, who was among the team’s starters for the first time this season. “I'm really happy for being able to play again, but also for the general performance of the team, who received, attacked and served well. On Wednesday, there will be another battle against Trento. We all know what a team Trento is, champions of Italy.”
Milano vs. Civitanova | Highlights | Superlega | 4a Giornata
On Saturday, Trentino handed Gas Sales their first loss of the season and remained the only team in the SuperLega who are yet to suffer a defeat. Led by 21-year-old Italian international Alessandro Michieletto with 18 points, the squad from Trento managed a 3-1 (26-24, 25-19, 16-25, 25-17) victory and climbed to second place on 4-0 and 10 points, below leaders Mint Vero Volley Monza, who have 12 points, but from five matches played. The team from Piacenza dropped to fourth on 3-1 and 9. Michieletto’s match high included two aces and two kill blocks. Luxembourgish opposite Kamil Rychlicki added another 16 points, while Serbian middle blocker and captain Marco Podrascanin finished with 11 points, including three aces and three blocks. Trentino’s setter Riccardo Sbertoli was honoured with the MVP nomination. Four players reached the double digits on the opponents’ side: Ricardo Lucarelli (16 points), Francesco Recine (15), Robertlandy Simon (14) and Fabrizio Gironi (11).
“In my opinion, we did well, especially from the point of view of team spirit,” Podrascanin said. “It was important to win that first set, in order to enter the match well. Then, in front of our fans, we were also very good in the fourth set and ended up taking home three very important points.”
Rana Verona recovered from a three-match losing streak with a 3-1 (25-23, 25-22, 25-27, 25-16) away win over Farmitalia Catania and rose to fifth place on 2-3 and 7, leaving the SuperLega rookies in 11th on 1-3 and 4. 21-year-old Slovenian outside Rok Mozic was on fire, spiking at a 60% success rate and delivering three kill blocks and an ace towards the match high of 29 points to earn the MVP award. With 80% success in attack, Bulgarian middle Aleks Grozdanov finished with 14 points, including five kill blocks and an ace. Austrian opposite Paul Buchegger led Farmitalia with 20 points.
Reigning club world champions and Supercoppa Italiana laureates Sir Susa Vim Perugia came back from a set down to win the big match with Valsa Group Modena. Tunisian opposite Wassim Ben Tara with 18 points and Ukrainian outside Oleh Plotnytskyi with 17 led the Block Devils to a 3-1 (14-25, 25-18, 25-20, 25-18) home victory and the third place in the current standings on 3-1 and 10. Valsa Group are eighth on 2-2 and 4.
Perugia vs. Modena | Highlights | Superlega | 4a Giornata
Table leaders Mint Vero Volley Monza hammered out an emphatic 3-0 (25-14, 25-10, 25-17) home victory over Gioiella Prisma Taranto to improve to 4-1 and 12. Two Canadians, opposite Arthur Szwarc and outside Stephen Maar, led the way with 15 and 14 points, respectively. The squad from Taranto remained the only winless team since the start of the season and dropped to bottom 12th on 0-4 and 2.
In the weekend’s only five-setter, Pallavolo Padova Padua celebrated a 3-2 (25-23, 25-21, 23-25, 23-25, 15-12) home win over Cisterna Volley with a 27-point match high, including three aces, from US opposite Gabriel Garcia. Padova are ninth on 2-2 and 4, but a point below Cisterna, who stand seventh on 1-3 and 5.
Next on the SuperLega agenda are the remaining five matches of the fifth leg to be played on Wednesday.
SuperLega Credem Banca 2023-2024 5th leg schedule:
Nov 15, 18:00 local (17:00 UTC): Gioiella Prisma Taranto v Sir Susa Vim Perugia
Nov 15, 20:30 local (19:30 UTC): Cucine Lube Civitanova v Farmitalia Catania
Nov 15, 20:30 local (19:30 UTC): Gas Sales Bluenergy Piacenza v Cisterna Volley
Nov 15, 20:30 local (19:30 UTC): Allianz Milan v Itas Trentino Trento
Nov 15, 20:30 local (19:30 UTC): Valsa Group Modena v Pallavolo Padova Padua
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