Trento, 24 January 2024

Itas Trentino-Allianz Milano 3-0, the match report

The chronicle of the match. Itas Trentino goes down on the tricolour Mondoflex in a standard formation: the starting six includes Sbertoli as setter, Rychlicki opposite, Michieletto and Lavia as outside hitter, Podrascanin and Kozamernik as middle blocker, Laurenzano as libero. Milan responded with Porro as setter, Reggers opposite, Vitelli and Loser as middle blocker, Catania as  libero, and Ishikawa and Mergarejo at set 4. Kaziyski started on the bench but found space in the final of the first set and in the following ones. The hosts got off to a determined start, and within a few exchanges guest coach Piazza was forced to take a time out at 6-2, with his team struggling to find their feet on the court. At the resumption, it was Trento again who laid down the law, (10-5 and 13-9), with a very fluent ball change and a block that was able to gag the opposing attackers. At 14-9, the meneghini ran out of breaks in the game, but the tricolours did not loosen their grip, also because on the high ball they were unstoppable (16-10 and 19-13). Only in the final minutes did Allianz try to raise their heads (21-17 and 24-21), taking advantage of a few errors by the yellow-blue team, which, after a time-out by Soli, closed the score 25-21 (service error by Porro).
In the second period Itas Trentino tried to run away immediately (5-2), but Milan were less timid this time and came back down to 6-5. It takes a great counter-attack by Rychlicki and a block by Podrascanin on Mergarejo to create a new gap (9-5). Piazza calls time out but a few minutes later he has to do it again, this time on 15-9, because in the meantime Michieletto has become even more of a protagonist in attack and at the block. The Allianz threw Kaziyski back into the fray, and the tricolours were never a running train that did not stop even in front of the Kaiser (20-12); the 2-0 lead then came at 25-19, with Pace taking Laurenzano's place in the second line for the entire fraction.
In the third set, the initial balance lasted until 5-5, then Michieletto hit the break (9-6) that allowed the yellow-blue to try to take the lead. The break failed, as Piano hit Kozamernik's block and brought the score to within one (12-11). Another block, this time by Ishikawa on Rychlicki, brought the score to 14, forcing Soli to call the team back to the bench. When the game resumed, the team was still fighting point-to-point (16-16 and 19-19), until Lavia failed to block Reggers (21-19); the Belgian opposite number went offside (23-20, direct error) and Trento closed with Michieletto on 25-21.

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