Birthday boy De Cecco helps Argentina get back on Cuba

Before making the trip to Ottawa, Canada, to start their campaigns in the Volleyball Nations League 2023, the men’s national teams of Argentina and Cuba met twice this week in friendly matches held in Tecnopolis as part of their preparation for the event.

While the Cubans came out on top in the first duel, on Thursday, the Argentineans counted on an inspiring performance of star setter Luciano De Cecco, who celebrated his birthday on the court on Friday and helped his team prevail in the second match, to get back on them.

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The Caribbean, who will appear in the VNL for the first time in 2023 after winning the 2022 FIVB Challenger Cup, were in top form in the first encounter, securing a three-set (25-23, 25-20, 25-22) win to frustrate the home fans.

Cuban opposite Jesús Herrera was the match’s top scorer with 18 points, while outside hitters Miguel Ángel López and Osniel Melgarejo added nine and eight, respectively. Opposite Bruno Lima led Argentina with 15.

“We’re very thankful that we got to play these two matches here in Argentina,” Melgarejo commented. “It’s been a nice spectacle and a very important step in our preparation for the VNL. Now we need to keep working to continue building our game.”

On Friday, Tokyo Olympic medallist De Cecco celebrated his 35^th birthday on the court and led Argentina to a 3-0 (25-20, 25-23, 25-19) victory over the Cubans.

The setter connected well with middle blocker Agustín Loser and outside hitter Luciano Palonsky, who produced 11 points each. Cuba had in star outside hitter Marlon Yant, who didn’t play in the first match, and opposite Miguel Gutiérrez the match’s top scorers with 12 points.

“These matches have helped us improve,” Lima said. “We made a lot of mistakes, which was expected, but we’ve been working hard and I’m sure that step by step we’ll improve and find our rhythm. Playing in Argentina, in front of our fans, is very special, and it’s always a pleasure. We hope we can do well in the VNL so we can improve our position in the rankings.”

Argentina will be the first of the two teams to debut in the VNL, with their opening match set to take place in Ottawa on Tuesday, at 16:30 local time (20:30 UTC), against reigning world champions Italy. The Cubans will play later on the same day, at 20:00 local time (02:00 UTC, Wednesday), against hosts Canada.

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