A brilliant Ferre Reggers powered last season’s bronze medallists Allianz Milan to a four-set victory on the road at last season’s silver medallists Mint Vero Volley Monza in Sunday evening’s closing match of the Italian SuperLega Credem Banca fourth leg, in which none of the six games was decided in straight sets.
Superlega 2024/25
With Reggers on fire, Allianz upset Vero Volley in Monza
Recap of Italian SuperLega’s fourth-leg matches
Published 04:46, 21 Oct 2024
Ferre Reggers in attack against a three-man Vero Volley block
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The 21-year-old Belgian rising star spiked 25 points at a 61% success rate in attack and mounted four kill blocks to contribute a match-high total of 29 points towards Allianz’s hard-fought 3-1 (31-29, 24-29, 25-22, 25-22) victory and earn the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the match award. The winners’ outsides Yacine Louati of France and Matey Kaziyski of Bulgaria also reached the double digits, with 18 and 12 points, respectively. Canadian opposite Arthur Szwarc helped keep Vero Volley close in the match and led their scoring effort with 23 points, supported by outside hitters Erik Rohrs of Germany with 13 points and the person who subbed in for him, Luka Marttila of Finland, with 10. Legendary Ivan Zaytsev, who made his official debut for Vero Volley, finished with seven points.
This success lifted the team from Milan to sixth place in the current standings on 6 points and a 2-2 win-loss record, while their opponents from neighbouring Monza stayed third from the bottom, in 10th place, on 2 and 1-3.
“There were some positive things and others that were less so,” commented Allianz’s setter Paolo Porro. “The positive ones allowed us to get three points against a great team. The derby was perhaps not technically incredible. Both Monza and we needed to move up the standings and I am very happy that we were the ones to win. As for the game, we are slowly finding the balance, I too with my new teammates. Everyone would like to always spike every ball, but it is not possible. Today we had Reggers on fire and to bring home the match I set him more than others. Next time it could be different, but this means that we are truly a team.”
“The positive thing is that we are growing. We have always arrived at the end of the sets tied and we lack a bit of attention in the crucial moments,” said Vero Volley’s middle blocker Gabriele Di Martino. “We come out of this derby positive despite the defeat. Starting tomorrow, we will immediately return to the gym to take care of the details that are penalizing us at the moment.”
In the only five-setter of the leg, SuperLega rookies Yuasa Battery Grottazzolina lost narrowly at home to Sonepar Padova Padua after pushing the tie-breaker to overtime, but earned their second point of the season and pushed themselves up from the bottom of the table, to 11th place on 2 and 0-2. Padova’s 22-year-old Serbian opposite Veljko Masulovic produced a match-high 26 points towards his team’s thrilling 3-2 (26-28, 25-20, 30-28, 20-25, 18-16) victory. Croatian outside Marko Sedlacek added 18 points, while his cross-court teammate Luca Porro finished with 17.
Yuasa Battery’s outsides, Oleg Antonov and Bulgaria’s Georgi Tatarov, led the home team with 18 points each, while Canadian middle blocker Danny Demyanenko impressed with seven kill blocks to finish with 16 points. Two points earned are a point lost, so despite the victory Padova dropped a spot down the table, to seventh place on 6 and 2-2, slightly trailing Allianz on point ratio.
In another much anticipated clash on Sunday, Rana Verona celebrated a 3-1 (25-23, 17-25, 25-23, 25-14) home win over Cucine Lube Civitanova to spoil Serbian star Marko Podrascanin’s new official debut for his old club Lube. Malian outside Noumory Keita fired 27 points towards Verona’s victory and topped the scorers’ chart of the match. The two sides are still neighbours in the standings, but they switched their spots. Verona are now in fourth place on 8 and 3-1, while Lube are fifth on 6 and 2-2, slightly edging Allianz on point ratio.
The three undefeated leaders stayed undefeated after the fourth leg, although they each lost a set at home.
Led by outside Alessandro Michieletto with 16 points, first-placed Itas Trentino Trento managed a 3-1 (25-22, 19-25, 25-23, 28-26) victory over Valsa Group Modena, whose Tommaso Rinaldi hammered a match-high 25 points. The reigning European champions improved to 12 and 4-0, while Modena, on 3 and 1-3, are in eighth place.
Defending champions Sir Susa Vim Perugia came back from a set down against Cisterna Volley to claim a 3-1 (19-25, 25-15, 25-16, 25-18) victory on a 21-point match high from Tunisian opposite Wassim Ben Tara. Ukrainian outside Oleh Plotnytskyi added another 20 points, including a remarkable six aces. Sir are in third place on 11 and 4-0 while Cisterna were pushed to the bottom, 12th place, on 1 and 0-4.
In Saturday’s only game, second-placed Gas Sales Bluenergy Piacenza delivered a 3-1 (29-31, 25-23, 25-21, 25-18) win over Gioiella Prisma Taranto to stay second on 12 and 4-0, but with lower point ratio than Trentino. The winners’ opposite Yuri Romano was the best scorer of the match with 19 points. Gioiella Prisma are in ninth place on 3 and 1-3.
Next weekend’s programme, with the matches of the fifth leg, will also offer one game on Saturday, October 26, and five on Sunday, October 27.
SuperLega Credem Banca 2024-2025 5th leg:
Oct 26, 18:00 local (16:00 UTC): Gioiella Prisma Taranto v Yuasa Battery Grottazzolina
Oct 27, 16:00 local (15:00 UTC): Allianz Milan v Rana Verona
Oct 27, 17:00 local (16:00 UTC): Sonepar Padova Padua v Gas Sales Bluenergy Piacenza
Oct 27, 18:00 local (17:00 UTC): Itas Trentino Trento v Sir Susa Vim Perugia
Oct 27, 18:00 local (17:00 UTC): Cucine Lube Civitanova v Cisterna Volley
Oct 27, 19:00 local (18:00 UTC): Valsa Group Modena v Mint Vero Volley Monza
