Third to seventh in SuperLega playoff bracket up for grabs

Ahead of Sunday’s last leg of Italy’s SuperLega Credem Banca regular season, all eight participants in the upcoming eighthfinals are already known. Three of them – leaders Itas Trentino Trento, runners-up Sir Susa Vim Perugia and eighth-placed Valsa Group Modena – already know their exact spots in the playoff bracket. The other five, however, will be looking to climb as high up the final regular season standings as possible for a better starting position in the grid.

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Gas Sales Bluenergy Piacenza’s third place is threatened by only one team, Cucine Lube Civitanova, but if Gas Sales (40 points and a 12-9 win-loss record) win at least two sets in their home game against Valsa Group Modena on Sunday at 18:00 local time (17:00 UTC), they will be unreachable for Lube (37, 14-7) and their spot will be safe. When the teams from Modena and Piacenza met in Modena in the last leg of the first half of the regular season, the visitors hammered out an emphatic 3-0 (25-20, 25-19, 25-21) shutout, with Brazilian international Ricardo Lucarelli leading the way with 13 points.

As many as three teams are crammed together at 36 points each, just a point below Lube, so the scuffle for the places from fourth to seventh will be quite exciting.

Two of these four teams will engage in a direct clash. Also at 18:00 (17:00) on Sunday, fifth-placed Rana Verona (13-8) will host Cucine Lube Civitanova. If one of the two opponents claim the three points (even two will be enough for Lube), they will secure a top-four finish and a home-court advantage in the quarterfinal playoffs. In December, Verona persevered through a five-set battle in Civitanova Marche to mount a 3-2 (22-25, 18-25, 25-16, 25-23, 15-12) comeback from two sets down. Lube’s rising Bulgarian star Aleksandar Nikolov scored 20 points to top the match chart, while Czech outside hitter Donovan Dzavoronok led the winners with 17 points, including five aces.

The other two teams that could also meddle in the fight for the fourth place, especially if Verona beat Lube in five sets again, are sixth-placed Mint Vero Volley Monza (12-9) and seventh-placed Allianz Milan (11-10).

In the 22^nd leg’s only match set to start a little earlier than the others on Sunday, at 17:30 (16:30), Mint Vero Volley Monza will host Cisterna Volley, who are already sure to finish in ninth place, just below the cut-off for the playoffs. The home team are the favourites in this match, but they have to be mindful of the 3-1 (25-18, 25-20, 21-25, 25-22) loss they suffered in Cisterna in December, when French opposite Theo Faure contributed a match-high 24 points to his team’s victory.

Allianz Milan will probably have the toughest task in moving up the standings as they entertain reigning club world champions and Coppa Italia and Supercoppa Italiana trophy holders Sir Susa Vim Perugia for their last game of the regular season. The squad from Milan, however, is one of the very few teams that have managed to upset Sir so far this season. In the 11^th leg, they delivered a stunning comeback from two sets down to celebrate a 3-2 (14-25, 20-25, 25-12, 25-22, 15-12) victory in Perugia, with a 25-point match high, including six aces, from Bulgarian legend Matey Kaziyski. About a month later, the two rivals put up another five-set spectacle in an Italy Sup semifinal in Bologna. This time, Sir emerged with a 3-2 (20-25, 25-23, 25-15, 23-25, 15-11) win on the way to the trophy, led by Tunisian opposite Wassim Ben Tara with 21 points.

In the remaining two matches on Sunday, defending champions and regular season winners Itas Trentino Trento will warm up for their upcoming playoff series against Modena with a home game against 10^th-placed Pallavolo Padova Padua, while already relegated Farmitalia Catania will say good-bye to the SuperLega with a home fixture against their main rival in the race for survival, 11^th-placed Gioiella Prisma Taranto.

SuperLega Credem Banca 2023-2024 22nd leg: 
Mar 3, 17:30 local (16:30 UTC): Mint Vero Volley Monza v Cisterna Volley
Mar 3, 18:00 local (17:00 UTC): Gas Sales Bluenergy Piacenza v Valsa Group Modena
Mar 3, 18:00 local (17:00 UTC): Allianz Milan v Sir Susa Vim Perugia
Mar 3, 18:00 local (17:00 UTC): Farmitalia Catania v Gioiella Prisma Taranto
Mar 3, 18:00 local (17:00 UTC): Itas Trentino Trento v Pallavolo Padova Padua
Mar 3, 18:00 local (17:00 UTC): Rana Verona v Cucine Lube Civitanova

SuperLega Credem Banca 2023-2024: full schedule and results

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