Mikko Oivanen spikes against Trentino Diatec block during the home match
ph. Hurrikaani Loimaa
Trento, January 17th 2017
The return matches of round of thirty-two of 2017 CEV Cup will be played today, tomorrow and on Thursday, and Trentino Volley is about to play its first european match of the season inside the home court of PalaTrento; tomorrow night, Wednesday January 18th, finnish team Hurrikaani Loimaa will be the opponent in the match beginning at 8:30 pm, live broadcast on Radio Dolomiti.
HERE TRENTINO DIATEC In order to continue to stay in the european competition and to hope to get closer to another international prestigious result, Trentino Volley necessarily needs to win at least two sets. Thanks to the 3-0 win in Finland, it is not vital for Trentino Diatec to win the match; but besides the mathematics, coach Angelo Lorenzetti and the team want to turn page after the defeat against Perugia.
“The first match against Loimaa was very positive and gives us confidence for moving to the next round. But we must complete what we started. This challenge must be faced with the correct attitude, playing at out best in order to prepare for the next ten days matches too. Every chance is an opportunity to improve our volleyball and to grow, from all points of view.” Coach Lorenzetti can count on all the players but won’t disclose the line-up until last minute. During this match, moreover, captain Filippo Lanza might reach 2000 personal points with Trentino Volley’s jersey: he’s currently scored 1993 in 225 caps.
ONCE AGAIN EUROPEAN ATMOSPHERE IN PALATRENTO Tomorrow night PalaTrento will host the 47th european home match of Trentino Volley’s history, 18th match of its CEV Cup history, with fourteen wins and only three defeats (against Ankara in 2005 and Moskow in 2015). The last victory on home court dates back to March 28th 2015 (3-2 against Kedzierzyn-Kozle during semifinals), while the last international match in PalaTrento was against Belgorod, in a 3-0 win on March 17th 2016 during Playoffs 6. The Yellow-blues club will play its 688th official match, the 129th international with a 107 wins and 21 defeats score.
THE OPPONENTS Hurrikaani Loimaa comes for the first time in its history at PalaTrento trying to overturn the negative result of the home match whitout letting Trento to win a set. This is what they have to do to qualify to the round of sixteen, and so continue the European path where only once in four participations they were able to win the round of thirty-two. Last summer the team spent a lot to strenghten the team buying the brothers Mikko and Matti Oivanen, opposite and middle blocker (former Piacenza during season 2009/10, with Lorenzetti as coach), but also with the Australian setter Peacock (former Verona) and his fellow countryman, the outside spiker Smith with the aim to win its first national title and do as well as possible in the European competition. The club represents a city with 13.000 inhabitants, located in the south of the country, in the Varsinais-Suomi district and it is fighting against Sastamala for the first place in the Mestaruusliiga, the national championship. After the home match against Trentino Volley, Hurrikaani played and won four matches: 3-1 against Leka, 3-0 against Kove, 3-1 against Etta and 3-2 Sunday night against Tiikerit. Thanks to those victories they are again the league leader. Hurrikaani Loimaa roster: 1. Jesse Mantyla (libero), 2. Johannes Laine (outside-spiker/libero), 3. Akseli Haltia (setter), 5. Henry Kartano (os), 8. Karri Kutinlahti (middle-blocker), 9. Tomi Mutka (os), 10. Eero Eemeli Kouki (os), 11. Harrison Peacock (s), 12. Tuomas Koppanen (mb), 13. Mikko Oivanen (opposite), 15. Matti Oivanen (mb), 16. Luke Smith (os). Coach Lauri Rantanen.
TRENTINO DIATEC QUALIFIES TO THE ROUND OF SIXTEEN IF… To get to the next round the yellow-blue team have to win two games in tomorrow night's match; thanks to the 3-0 away win, Lanza and his teammates could also lose at the tie break to avoid the golden set against Loimaa. The golden set will be played only if the Finnish team wins in maximum four sets. The rules are the same as those used in the Playoffs 12 of the CEV Champions League. The winning team will play against the winning team of the match between VaLePa Sastamala and Gentofte Volley (the return match is scheduled for tonight after the 3-0 win for Sastamala in the first match).
FORMAT AND OTHER MATCHES In 2017 CEV Cup there are six double rounds, that means away and home matches (Round of sixty-four, Round of thirty-two, Round of sixteen, Quarter-finals, Semifinals e Final). They are knock-out matches: the team that goes to next round is the one that gains more points in two matches: 3 points for a 3-0 or 3-1 win, 2 for a tie break win, 1 for the tie break defeat (golden set at 15 in case of a draw – the same as the Playoffs 12 of the CEV Champions League). The other return matches of the round of thirty-two (in brackets the result of the away match): Gazprom-Urga Surgut-Olympiacos Piraeus (2-3), Tiikerit Kokkola-Cež Karlovarsko (3-2), Paok Thessaloniki-Ok Novi Pazar (3-1), Volejbal Brno- Tours VB (0-3), Lindemans Aalst-Hapoel Yoav Kfar Saba (3-0), Arago de Sete-Sk Aich/Dob (1-3), Crvena Zvezda Beograd-Topvolley Callant Antwerp (0-3), United Volleys Rheinmain-Ok Mladost Brcko (3-0), Fenerbahce Sk Istanbul-Hapoel Mate-Asher Akko (3-0), Abiant Lycurgus Groningen-Levski Ball Sofia (0-3), Volley Amriswil-Cska Sofia (1-3), Gfc Ajaccio Budvanska-Rivijera Budva (3-0), C.s. Arcada Galati-Vojvodina Ns Seme Novi Sad (0-3), Hypo Tirol Innsbruck-Lpr Volley Piacenza (0-3), Gentofte Volley-VaLePa Sastamala (0-3).
THE PRECEDENTS The only precedent is the away match played the past 5th January in Loimaa with the 3-0 yellow-blue win (25-16, 25-21, 25-20). It is the only match ever played by Trentino Volley against a Finnish team.
THE REFEREES The match will be refereed by Pedro Lopes Pinto the Portuguese first referee who comes from Porto, and the Bosnian Milan Nikolic, second referee from Brcko, who is the only one with a precedent with Trentino Volley: 13th January 2015, Craiova-Trento 0-3 (away match of the quarter-finals of 2015 CEV Cup).
RADIO AND INTERNET The match will be broadcasted by Radio Dolomiti, partner radio of Trentino Volley, starting from around 8.25 p.m.. On the site www.radiodolomiti.com it is possible listening to the live radio reportage of the match, in the section “on air”.
To follow point by point the match the official site of CEV http://cevlive.cev.lu/DV_LiveScore.aspx?ID=29191 will offer the live score, or on the Trentino Volley's site www.trentinovolley.it which will also offer the set report a few minutes after the end of each set. There will be also constant updates on the yellow-blue social networks (www.trentinovolley.it/facebook and www.trentinovolley.it/twitter).
TICKETS AND MERCHANDISING The match is included in the seasonal subsciption 2016/17. For those who do not have the subscription, the tickets can be bought until Wednesday at midday in Trentino Volley's headquarter (via Trener 2 in Trento) and Promoevent, via Suffragio 10 in Trento, and in every moment at the site http://www.vivaticket.it/ita/event/2017-cev-cup-trentino-diatec-loimaa/93540. The tickets will also be available on Wednesday directly at PalaTrento's box offices, that will open at 7.30 p.m. at the same time as the entrance to the sports hall. The box offices will remain open until the end of the second set, since then it will not be possible to get into PalaTrento and see the rest of the match.
Trentino Volley Srl
Press Office
