Mitar Djuric blocked Earvin Ngapeth during the last match played at PalaPanini (11th February 2016)

Ph. Trabalza

Trento, April 8th, 2016

Tomorrow it will begin the playoffs Championship UnipolSai 2016 semifinals where Diatec Trentino, number three on the board, will challenge DHL Modena in the comparison that will be articulated to the best of five games. Tomorrow evening, Saturday, April 9th, at PalaPanini it will be played Game 1, with kick-off scheduled at 8:15 pm. Broadcasted live on Rai Sport TV 1 and on Radio Dolomiti.
HERE DIATEC TRENTINO After five days without official games, period used to improve physical and technical condition of the squad, the Italian champions will face the second round of the draw but without being able to rely on the advantage of the field factor in the eventual Game 5 playoff. Even only for this reason, the series with Modena therefore seems particularly difficult because for dull will win at least once away; in Game 1 of the semifinals the tricolor will have the right preparation and the desire to reverse the forecasts that see ahead Modena, as confirmed by the coach Radostin Stoytchev.
"We are not starting with the favours of the ranking, the regular season demonstrates how Modena is stronger than us but this doesn’t mean that we start with the wrong foot, indeed we will push to reverse the forecasts in a confrontation that is repeated constantly in recent years” - he explained-. “In Game 1 we will have no great choice of staff because we have to deal again with so many physical problems but the series is long and we hope to have more alternatives in later games. It will be a very tough series, but we can grow as much game by game”.
The Bulgarian technician will have to do just without the opposite Gabriele Nelli (still two weeks to a bruised left thigh), but will rely on the steady growth of Djuric condition (already regular for two games) and Lanza, who will offer an alternative more in place 4. The two sessions planned before the match (one this afternoon at PalaTrento before the departure for Emilia and the usual final one before the competition tomorrow morning) will help to resolve the concerns of education still present; were to be confirmed by the diagonal across a foreign band (Kaziyski-Urnaut), in the center space for Daniele Mazzone mvp of Game 5 with Molfetta.
Game 1 of the semifinals will be the forty season game of Trentino Volley, the 654^ Official in its history. For the four components of the squad (Georgi Bratoev, Carlo De Angelis, Daniele Mazzone and Simon Van de Voorde) will be the debut ever in a semifinal of the Italian league championship; Kaziyski is instead the player who has the largest number of races (21 in 7 previous semifinal series.)
PREVIOUSLY The continuing challenge between Trento and Modena this season will live at least another three acts after the four already gone in between regular-season scene (2) and final of Super Cup and Italian Cup. Compared to 2014/15, when the derby of the A22 was staged in the finals, this time will be the semifinal to put in front of the two companies, as happened in 2011. The duel will be staged for the seventh time ever in the post-season phase, the third consecutive one considering also the one played in the 2013/14 season in the quarterfinals and won 2-0 by the Emilian. The first head to head dating debut in playoffs Championship of Trentino Volley: 2002/03 with Modena who managed to impose itself only 3-2 in the fifth game after being 2-0 ahead even; later, the two companies found themselves in front also in the quarters of 2006 (2-1 closed series for Trento which qualified for the first time in its history for the semi-finals), 2008 (Trento’s victory in two races) and then in the semifinals 2011 (closed series at 3-2 in favor of Trentino Volley). The Emilian team is the opponent who Trentino Volley has faced the greatest number of times in competitive matches in its history: in 653 races so far played in its history, 58 have gone to the scene just against the canaries, challenged 32 times in regular season, 4 in the Italian Cup, 1 Italian Super Cup, as well as in 21 cases just in the playoffs. The budget sees forward Trento to 35-23, but the season is perfect equality: two victories of Stoytchev’s team in regular season (last 3-2 on February 11th, in PalaPanini) and two victories in the Super Cup of Modena (at tie-break on October 24th in Modena) and Italian Cup (3-0 in Assago on February 7th).
THE SERIES The semifinals, as well as the quarter-finals and the final, will play the best of five games to the next round in the series the team that wins it three. After Game 1 of tomorrow, the duelists will be back on the field to PalaTrento for Game 2 already on Tuesday 12th at 8.30 pm; the series then stop for nine days to allow Trentino Volley to play in the Final Four of the CEV Champions League in Krakow (on April 16th-17th). Game 3 will be re-scheduled in Emilia then only on Thursday, April 21st at 8.30 pm, while any Game 4 (if any were needed) would be scheduled for Monday, April 25th in Trento (7.15 pm) and Game 5 instead would be played at PalaPanini on Thursday, April 28th (8.30 pm). Those who exceed the turn will be in the Final with the winner of Civitanova-Perugia, series that kicks off on Saturday with parallel Game 1 in the Marche at 6.00 pm.
REFEREES The race will be directed by Luca Sobrero (referee of Carcare - Savona, in Serie A since 1996 and internationally since 2001) and Alessandro Tanasi (second of Syracuse, in Serie a since 2002). The two are in their first season in Super League game joint UnipolSai 2015/16; the eleventh for the Ligurian whistle (who this season has already directed Trento during the defeat in the regular season in Perugia for 1-3, the tie-break victory in Verona and the Italian Cup final in Assago lost 0-3 just with Modena), the fourteenth for Tanasi, boasting two crossings with Trentino Volley: victory in Monza 3-1 and 3-0 home victory against Perugia, still in regular season.
TV, RADIO AND INTERNET Modena -Trento will be a global media event, broadcasted live on any type of media. On television will be broadcast by RAI Sport 1, visible on the digital terrestrial platform and on Sky on channel 227, with comment entrusted to Maurizio Colantoni and Andrea Lucchetta. The game will be streamed also in Internet on www.raisport.rai.it/dl/raisport/multimedia/diretta.html and will count on an intercontinental visibility (fifty nations affiliated) thanks to the broadcasts programmed by Bein Sport Arabia, Bein Sport Usa, Bein Sport France, Sportsklub, Sportsklub Poland, Bandsport, Sky Mexico, Channel 11, OTE, Romtelecom, Cyta, Ct Cinetrade Ag, Sport 5, Cmore, Perform and Img.
RadioDolomiti, radio partner of Trentino Volley, will recount the match live, and in its entirety, starting from 20.10. The connections with PalaPanini will be made within the show “Campioni di Sport”: the radio frequencies to follow the regional network can be found on the home page www.trentinovolley.it, whereas the live radio commentary in streaming can be followed on www.radiodolomiti.com.
The pre-recorded broadcast of the match will be transmitted on Monday April 11th at 21.30 pm on the regional television channel RTTR, Tv partner of via Trener’s club.
Finally, on internet, the minute by minute update will be care of the Lega Pallavolo Serie A (www.legavolley.it), by www.trentinovolley.it itself, and it will always be active also on the yellow-blue Social Networks (www.trentinovolley.it/facebook and www.trentinovolley.it/twitter).

Play Off Scudetto UnipolSai 2016 Semifinale schedule

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