After a ten-day break, the 2024-2025 Italian men’s SuperLega Credem Banca playoffs resume this weekend, with the start of the semifinal round, which will see the four teams still standing begin what should be long and exciting battles for the two spots in the Scudetto Finals.

Sir Susa Vim Perugia and Cucine Lube Civitanova will be the first to get on the court, meeting at the Palabarton, in Perugia, on Saturday, at 20:30 local time (19:30 GMT). On Sunday, it will be time for Itas Trentino and Gas Sales Bluenergy Piacenza to get their series going at the ILT Quotidiano Arena, in Trento, at 18:00 local time (17:00 GMT).

• Watch the SuperLega on VBTV.

Defending champions Perugia were the second-best team in the regular season, securing 57 points with 20 wins and just two losses. In the quarterfinals, they handled Valsa Group Modena in three matches to make it to the Italian League Final Four for a second-straight season and for the tenth time in their last 11 campaigns.

Ukrainian outside hitter Oleh Plotnytskyi was in great form in the quarterfinals and led the team offensively with 49 points scored across the three matches against Modena – he also leads the league in aces with 60. Star setter Simone Giannelli, who ranks fourth in the position with 57.64% efficiency, and Argentinean middle blocker Agustín Loser, who’s fifth in blocks with 48, are other players with big influence in Perugia’s play.

“As the season progressed, I figured we could have Civitanova as our opponents in the semifinals,” opposite Wassin Ben Tara revealed. “I’m sure it’s going to be a beautiful series, in which the details will make a difference. They are very good at serving and blocking, so keeping our side out steady will be important. But above anything, we need to fight for every ball because each point will matter.”

The reigning Coppa Italia champions, Civitanova made it to the playoffs in third place, earning 46 points in the regular season, with 14 wins and eight losses. Their quarterfinal series with Allianz Milano lasted four matches, but had them prevailing at the end and returning to the semifinals after missing out last season – they had 12 straight appearances before that.

Turkish opposite Adis Lagumdzija and outside hitters Aleksandar Nikolov and Mattia Bottolo carried Civitanova’s offense in the series against Milano, combining to produce 181 points throughout the four matches. In the semifinals, however, the team will miss world champion libero and team captain Fabio Balaso, who had surgery due to a fracture on his right hand and could miss the rest of the season.

“It’s a great responsibility to enter the series against Perugia as a starter, but at the same time, I see it as an opportunity to test myself in a high-level challenge,” said Francesco Bisotto, who will replace the Italian national team libero in the lineup. “I’ll be very focused on playing in the best possible way. Passing at a high level against Perugia is a challenge, because they have incredible servers such as Plotnytskyi and Ben Tara. I feel comfortable with my teammates and will try to enjoy the series.”

The encounters between the teams have been historically tight, with Perugia having one more win (34-33) in the 67 duels held so far. This season, the teams met twice in the regular season and split wins, with Perugia winning at home in the first round and Civitanova doing the same in the second.

SuperLega Credem Banca 2024-2025 schedule and results

Trentino looking to continue winning streak against Piacenza

The other series has a different outlook, with Trentino being vastly successful against Piacenza over the years, having taken the win 17 times in the 23 meetings between the teams. The reigning European champions have triumphed in the last five matches and haven’t lost to their rivals in almost two years.

Trentino were the top team in the Super Lega regular season, getting 20 wins and two losses to get to 57 points and beat Perugia in the tie-breakers. They surprisingly lost a match to Cisterna Volley in the quarterfinals, but came back strong to win two in a row and advance to the semifinals for a 17^th straight season.

The Super Lega’s third-best scorer, star outside hitter Alessandro Michieletto owned the series against Cisterna, leading the team with 74 points scored across the four matches. The defensive efficiency of libero Gabriele Laurenzano, who leads the league in that category with 205, is another weapon they will use in the semifinals.

“The two matches against Piacenza in the regular season were very different – we were always in control in the first one, but trailed for most the second one before coming back to win it,” Laurenzano recalled. “But everything starts over at this stage of the tournament, so I’m sure Sunday’s match will have an entirely different script. Everything is unpredictable now, but the level will definitely be higher, so we need to be ready for it.”

Piacenza finished the regular season in fifth place, with 39 points (13 wins, nine losses), but stepped to upset fourth-placed Rana Verona in the quarterfinals, winning their series in three matches. With that, they are back in the semifinals after missing out last season.

Outside hitters Stephen Maar and Efe Mandıracı were in excellent form in the quarterfinals, registering 49 and 45 points respectively in the series. French Olympic champion setter Antoine Brizard also thrived, helping four hitters to get to double digits in scoring in two matches in the series.

“Trentino are a great team and the series should be long, so we’ll need patience,” middle blocker Gianluca Galassi commented. “We’ll try to use our best weapons and explore their weak points. We made great progress in our blocking and defense during the series against Verona and these will be important aspects against Tretino as well. I think they’re the favorites because of what they did in the regular season, but that will allow us to enter the series without much pressure.”

Quick links:
SuperLega Credem Banca 2024-2025
VBTV
Volleyball World Facebook
Volleyball World X
Volleyball World Instagram
Volleyball World YouTube
Subscribe to Volleyball World's Newsletter