Sir Sicoma Monini Perugia and Allianz Milan retain their spots in the Pools with two confident wins
Recap
Pool D: Jihostroj ČESKÉ BUDĚJOVICE (CZE) vs Sir Sicoma Monini PERUGIA (ITA)
0-3 (25-27, 22-25, 16-25)
The Italian team entered the match as absolute favorites, leading Pool D with 4 wins and 0 losses. In contrast, the Czech team faced the opposite situation, having 0 wins and 4 losses.
The fight in the first set was impressive, especially toward the end. The hosts managed to catch up with the Italians, forcing them into several errors while excelling in serves. Perugia's 24th point was earned by Semeniuk, who literally overpowered the Czech triple block. The set was decided by an unfortunate error from the Czech team, sending the ball out of bounds.
The next two sets demonstrated more evident dominance by the Italian team. Toward the end of the second set, Jihostroj once again caused some nerves for their opponents, with Sedlacek’s block at 20-23 being particularly notable. However, Lorenzetti's team corrected their mistakes from the first set and secured the second set with a three-point lead. In the third set, the Italians didn’t allow their opponents to score even 20 points, winning the match 3-0.
MVP: Yuki Ishikawa (15 points, 1 ace, 1 block)
Simone GiannelliIt was a tough game for us. I played here five years ago, so I knew it wouldn't be easy. The hall has a lower ceiling than what we’re used to. On the other hand, it's great to see so many fans attending matches here. It felt like every corner of the hall was packed, which is good for us and for volleyball in general. I'm very happy with the result.
captain of Sir Sicoma Perugia
Pool C: Knack ROESELARE (BEL) vs Allianz MILANO (ITA)
0-3 (17-25, 18-25, 20-25)
At the start of the match, the teams ranked third and second in their group, respectively.
In the first set, Allianz Milano outperformed their opponents in blocks (4 to 1) and excelled in both attack and serve, successfully executing 11 attacks and scoring one ace. Despite committing more unforced errors, the Italians maintained the lead throughout the set and secured a 17-25 victory. Like that Knack Roeselare was completely outclassed in attack, blocking, and defense by the Italian team.
Knack Roeselare fought back in the second set and managed to stay close to their opponents for a time, but Milano still won the set 18-25. In the third set, Knack Roeselare substituted Erik Siksna with Brendan Mills, who played in the opposite position. The home team fought to the limit, holding brief leads at 10-8 and 11-10, but ultimately lost the set to Allianz Milano.
Tomasso Barotto was named MVP of the match, scoring 18 points and 3 aces for Milano. The top scorer for Knack Roeselare was Seppe Rotty with 11 points.
Ferre REGGERSWe are very happy to have won this match in three sets. The next few weeks will be very busy for us in the Italian league. We knew that Knack Roeselare was missing one of their key players, so we adjusted our team plan. We started very aggressively, which caused them problems in reception. I want to congratulate their fans for creating a great atmosphere in the hall.
opposite of Allianz MILANO