Alessandro Michieletto showed a solid performance as Itas Trentino Trento put together an important victory on the road, over last season’s bronze medallists Allianz Milan, to stay in the lead of the Italian SuperLega Credem Banca table as one of three undefeated teams, following the end of the third leg of the regular season.
Superlega 2024/25
Trentino stay in the lead after big win in Milan
Recap of Italian SuperLega’s third-leg matches
Published 06:11, 14 Oct 2024
Michieletto spikes against Allianz
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In a remake of last season’s third-place clash, Trentino achieved a hard-fought 3-1 (31-29, 29-27, 22-25, 25-19) win over their hosts Allianz in the last match of the leg on Sunday evening and collected 9 points and a 3-0 win-loss record, thus holding on to the first place in the current standings, separated from second-placed Gas Sales Bluenergy Piacenza only on point ratio. Allianz are down to eighth place on 3 and 1-2.
✌️🏆🇮🇹🏐 | SUPERLEGA CREDEM BANCA 2024/25
— trentinovolley (@trentinovolley) October 13, 2024
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Bottino pieno anche a Milano: Itas Trentino in vetta alla classifica con nove punti assieme a Piacenza
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#⃣ #SuperLega
#⃣ #trentinonelcuorehttps://t.co/SrQaM9EV90
Outside hitter Michieletto led the way with a leg-high 23 points, including three aces and two kill blocks, and earned the Most Valuable Player award. American opposite Gabriel Garcia raised four kill blocks to finish with 18 points, followed by outside Daniele Lavia with 13 points, including the match winner, and Brazilian middle blocker Flavio Gualberto with 11 points. Belgian opposite Ferre Reggers was the home team’s top scorer with 19 points. Bulgarian star Matey Kaziyski and the team’s other outside, Frenchman Yacine Louati, tallied 11 points each.
“Congratulations to Milan, who played a very good match, especially in defence, but also congratulations to us who managed to push hard at every moment of the match, bringing home three important points,” Gabi Garcia commented. “It certainly wasn't a match where everything worked, but we were still good at finding solutions to resolve the problems that had arisen.”
“I would like to congratulate the whole team. It was a hard-fought match from start to finish,” said Matey Kaziyski. “We had a bit of bad luck and in the first two sets we made some mistakes that are not typical of us. Surely also due to the pressure from our opponents, but we gave away points with mistakes on simple things. However, if I have to think about what stage we are in the season, I think this result is a good example that we are a team that can bother anyone. We just need to believe a little more.”
Gas Sales also claimed a four-set away victory to stay close behind Trentino in the table. With an 18-point match high from Serbian outside Uros Kovacevic, they defeated Cisterna Volley by 3-1 (25-22, 19-25, 25-20, 25-23). Canadian outside Stephen Maar added another 16 points, while opposite Yuri Romano finished with 15, including three aces. The MVP recognition went to French setter Antoine Brizard. Cisterna’s Spanish outside Jordi Ramon matched Kovacevic’s tally and also produced 18 points. Cisterna remained as one of two winless teams in the leagues and stand 11th on 1 and 0-3, above rookies Yuasa Battery Grottazzolina on set ratio.
“This was a very important victory in a match that was certainly not played at our best. We were not fluid in the game, but this is a team that can only grow,” Gas Sales’ head coach Andrea Anastasi stated. “We did not play well, but winning here in Cisterna, where we had not had a good result in the championship for a long time, is really important. Now we remain very focused without thinking about the standings, but focusing only on the next opponent Taranto.”
Reigning club world champions and defending Italian champions Sir Susa Vim Perugia also won on the road to stay unbeaten since the start of the season, but with just 8 points, they occupy the third place. The Block Devils mastered an emphatic 3-0 (25-23, 25-19, 25-21) sweep in Saturday’s leg opener at Valsa Group Modena. They were spearheaded by Tunisian opposite Wassim Ben Tara, who delivered 13 putaways, including four blocks and two aces. Modena’s Austrian opposite Paul Buchegger was the top scorer of the match with 14 points. Valsa Group are now seventh on 3 and 1-2.
In another high-profile game, Cucine Lube Civitanova left few opportunities to last season’s silver medallists Mint Vero Volley Monza and hammered out a 3-0 (25-20, 25-22, 25-22) shutout to the delight of 3,500 home fans at the Eurosuole. Turkish opposite Adis Lagumdzija contributed 19 points to his team’s success to top the charts of the match. Lube climbed to fourth place on 6 and 2-1, while Vero Volley dropped to 10th place on 2 and 1-2.
Rana Verona rose to fifth place on 5 and 2-1 after dominating their game at Yuasa Battery Grottazzolina to build up a solid 3-0 (25-19, 25-23, 25-15) victory. Verona’s Malian outside Noumory Keita matched Michieletto’s 23 points, but only in three sets, to become the best scorer of the leg.
Sonepar Padova Padua also ascended to the top half of the table, taking sixth place on 4 and 1-2 after celebrating their first win of the season, a hard-fought 3-1 (18-25, 27-25, 25-23, 25-18) comeback at Gioiella Prisma Taranto on a 22-point match high from Croatian outside Marko Sedlacek. Prisma are down to ninth on 3 and 1-2.
The fourth leg will be played next weekend, with one game on Saturday, October 19, and five on Sunday, October 20.
SuperLega Credem Banca 2024-2025 4th leg:
Oct 19, 20:30 local (18:30 UTC): Gas Sales Bluenergy Piacenza v Gioiella Prisma Taranto
Oct 20, 16:00 local (14:00 UTC): Rana Verona v Cucine Lube Civitanova
Oct 20, 16:00 local (14:00 UTC): Itas Trentino Trento v Valsa Group Modena
Oct 20, 18:00 local (16:00 UTC): Yuasa Battery Grottazzolina v Sonepar Padova Padua
Oct 20, 18:00 local (16:00 UTC): Sir Susa Vim Perugia v Cisterna Volley
Oct 20, 19:00 local (17:00 UTC): Mint Vero Volley Monza v Allianz Milan
