Vero Volley book last playoff spot, Grottazzolina relegated

As the games of the 20^th leg in the Italian men’s volleyball SuperLega Credem Banca unfolded over the weekend, Vero Volley Monza secured the last available spot in the quarterfinal playoffs, while Yuasa Battery Grottazzolina lost all chances of salvation and will be relegated from the league for next season.

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In one of the leg’s opening matches on Saturday, Vero Volley Monza produced an emphatic 3-0 (25-16, 25-22, 25-16) sweep of their home game against Sonepar Padova Padua with a match-high 19 points, including two aces and two kill blocks, from 19-year-old opposite Diego Frascio, who was named the game’s Most Valuable Player (MVP). With this, the gap between the two teams in the current standings widened to seven points with two legs left to go in the regular season. Vero Volley consolidated in eighth place on 22 points and a 7-13 win-loss record, while Padova are ninth on 15 and 6-14.

“The result was important and we managed to get it, so we're very happy,” said MVP Frascio, who had to step in after the departure of Hungarian opposite Krisztian Padar from the Monza club. “We played a good match, we made things difficult for them from the start, and we never let up. I'm very happy because I've found some space, and I have to thank everyone, especially the fans, who always made me feel essential to the team. This helped me a lot during a period when I wasn't playing as much, given the performances of a great Padar, who has always played very well. I'm very satisfied that I was able to contribute to this victory, and we hope to continue like this for the remaining matches.”

Before the squad from Monza could celebrate their mathematical advancement to the quarterfinals, they had to wait for one more match on Sunday. With MA Acqua San Bernardo Cuneo’s straight-set loss at Cisterna Volley, they also lost a shot at the playoffs, leaving Vero Volley as a sure quarterfinalist. Cisterna delivered a 3-0 (25-19, 25-19, 27-25) shutout of Cuneo to catch up with them on 14 points each, but overtake them into 10^th place on 5-15 against Cuneo’s 4-16. Cisterna’s experienced outside hitter Filippo Lanza and Cuneo’s 22-year-old opposite Nathan Feral shared the top scorer honors with 15 points each. The French youngster’s tally included three aces and a kill block.

Also on Sunday, bottom-placed Yuasa Battery Grottazzolina suffered their 19^th defeat since the start of the season, fell eight points behind the two teams above them in the table and will have to face relegation. However, they did not fall without a fight. Visiting defending champions Itas Trentino Trento, Grottazzolina pushed their mighty hosts to five sets before conceding a 3-2 (22-25, 25-15, 23-25, 25-22, 15-13) loss, with 22-year-old Bulgarian outside Georgi Tatarov on fire with a match-high 23 points. His Spanish counterpart Jordi Ramon led Trentino with 19 points, including two aces and two blocks. Trentino are running in third place on 44 and 15-5, while Grottazzolina trail in 12^th on 6 and 1-19.

The top two in the standings also achieved victories on Sunday, but the distance between them narrowed by a point down to four. Table leaders and reigning club world champions Sir Susa Scai Perugia persevered through a tough five-setter at home against Gas Sales Bluenergy Piacenza to claim a 3-2 (21-25, 25-17, 25-18, 23-25, 15-12) win and improve to 52 and 18-2 in first place. Gas Sales stayed in fifth on 40 and 12-8. Ukrainian outside Oleh Plotnytskyi was the best scorer of the match with 19 points for the winners, including three blocks and an ace.

At the same time, second-placed Rana Verona grabbed the full three points from their visit to Allianz Milan. The reigning Italy Cup laureates mastered a 3-0 (27-25, 25-23, 25-16) victory to improve to 48 and 17-3 and leave their opponents in seventh place on 29 and 10-10. Verona’s Brazilian opposite Darlan Souza shined with a match-high 23 points, registering two kill blocks, one ace and a 77% success rate in attack.

In yet another high-caliber battle, Valsa Group Modena outlasted their hosts Cucine Lube Civitanova to bring home a 3-2 (25-17, 25-22, 17-25, 18-25, 15-13) victory on Saturday. Belarusian outside Uladzislau Davyskiba contributed a team-high 16 points to Modena’s success. His 22-year-old Bulgarian counterpart Aleksandar Nikolov topped the match chart with 22 points for Lube. Modena are in fourth place on 41 and 14-6, while Lube stand sixth on 35 and 11-9.

The 21^st leg is scheduled on the weekend of February 21 and 22.

SuperLega Credem Banca 2025-2026 21st-leg schedule:
Feb 21, 20:30 local (19:30 UTC): Rana Verona v Sir Susa Scai Perugia
Feb 22, 17:00 local (16:00 UTC): Cisterna Volley v Cucine Lube Civitanova
Feb 22, 18:00 local (17:00 UTC): Gas Sales Bluenergy Piacenza v Itas Trentino Trento
Feb 22, 18:00 local (17:00 UTC): Yuasa Battery Grottazzolina v Valsa Group Modena
Feb 22, 18:00 local (17:00 UTC): MA Acqua San Bernardo Cuneo v Sonepar Padova Padua
Feb 22, 19:00 local (18:00 UTC): Vero Volley Monza v Allianz Milan

SuperLega Credem Banca 2025-2026 schedule and results

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