Guide to Itas Trentino-Mint Vero Volley Monza (5 pm), 06 April 2024

Play Off Scudetto, game 3 of the Semifinal on Sunday at the ilT quotidiano Arena

Game 3 of the Play Off Scudetto SuperLega Credem Banca 2024 Semifinal will be played on Sunday, April 7 at the ilT quotidiano Arena. Ahead 2-0 in the series, Itas Trentino will be back in front of their home crowd to try and close the account in the first of three opportunities to close out the series with Mint Vero Volley Monza. Kick-off scheduled for 5 p.m.: live broadcast on Radio Dolomiti and live streaming on the OTT Volleyball World Tv platform.
QUI ITAS TRENTINO "The 2-0 in the series is an important result, but not enough for the passage of the round - explained coach Fabio Soli during the presentation of the appointment - ; as we are used to doing, we are focused only on Sunday's match, with the goal of improving our performance compared to what we offered in the previous two matches. The indispensable tool through which we can aspire to a positive result will be exclusively to offer a good performance. As game 2 in Monza showed, the bar is being raised match after match, and it is possible that Sunday's challenge could also be characterised by increasing difficulties, especially since our opponents could field a player as fundamental to them as Maar. The ability to find effective solutions to the game situations that will arise in every single set will be the key to the match".
The Trentino coach will only have to do without Sbertoli; the rest of the squad will complete this afternoon's preparation for the match by holding a technical-tactical session at the ilT quotidiano Arena. In the past, Trentino Volleyball has been 2-0 up on four other occasions in a best-of-five games series of the Scudetto Play Off Semifinals: in 2009 (2-0 over Cuneo, which ended 3-0), in 2010 (2-0 over Macerata, which ended 3-1 because Lube won game 3), in 2022 (2-0 over Civitanova, which then won the remaining three games, qualifying for the final) and in 2023 (2-0 over Piacenza, which was defeated in the fifth game). More generally, on eight occasions in its twenty-one Play Off appearances Trentino Volleyball has found itself 2-0 up in a best-of-five match series; on only two occasions has it failed to reach the round: in addition to the 2021/22 season match against Cucine Lube, the 2005 quarter-final clash with Piacenza (lost 2-3) is also on record.
SEVEN WINS AND FIVE LOSSES IN THE PREVIOUS MATCH 3 OF THE SEMIFINAL Trentino Volleyball has already played a match 3 of the Semifinal Play Off Scudetto twelve times (out of a total of twenty-one), with seven wins and five losses. The wins are related to 3-1 in the 2006 series with Treviso, 3-1 in the 2009 series with Cuneo, 3-0 in the 2011 series with Modena, 3-2 in the 2015 series with Perugia, 3-1 in Modena in 2016, 3-1 at home again with Perugia in 2017 and 3-2 over Civitanova in the 2019 series; the five knockouts are related to a 0-3 home loss to Lube in the 2010 series, a 2-3 in Perugia in 2018, a 1-3 in Civitanova in the 2021 edition, a 0-3 also in the Marche in 2022 and a knockout again in three sets at home with Piacenza last season. Still regarding the numbers, Sunday's match will be the 41st of the season for the Gialloblù (balance 33 wins and 7 losses), the 1,036th official match ever, and the 152nd in the Play Off Scudetto, in which it can boast 91 victories, of which 62 (out of 79 matches played) were won at home.
THE OPPONENTS With no more chances to lose in order not to leave the race for the Scudetto, Mint Vero Volley Monza is preparing to peep for the third time this season at the ilT quotidiano Arena, with the strict necessity of getting a result to continue to feed the hopes of qualifying for the first Scudetto final in its history, possibly the third of the season after those played in the Coppa Italia and Challenge Cup. Massimo Eccheli's team will therefore go in search of the first ever victory for the Brianza club in Trento, relying heavily on the fundamentals of hitting and defence, those that allowed them to win the second partial at home (the only partial so far in the series). Maar's presence is still in doubt, but his natural replacement, compatriot Loeppky, has so far been the best scorer in the confrontation: 39 personal points in the first two matches.
BACKGROUND With Sunday's match, Monza reaches thirty-four official matches and overtakes Treviso, becoming the tenth opponent Trentino Volley has faced the most times in its men's history. The tally speaks in favour of the yellow-blue at 29-4, including the eight previous matches in the Play Off Scudetto: two in 2016 (quarter-finals, victory for Trento 2-0), four in 2023 (quarter-finals, victory for Trento 3-1) and two in the current edition (victory in game 1 3-0 and in game 2 3-1 in the semifinals).
Never before this season had the two clubs faced each other in the penultimate act of the draw; the only semi-final already in the archives was that of this season's edition of the Coppa Italia (on 27 January: 2-3 for Monza, then runner-up to Bologna). In seventeen matches played in Trento the Gialloblù club has always managed to defend the home court factor, obtaining the same number of victories: 8 by 3-0, 6 by 3-1 and 3 by 3-2. In the two previous matches of the season in Trentino, one victory in four sets (19 November) and one in three ( March 31st).
THE SERIES The semi-finals, like the finals, will be played over five matches. They return to court on Sunday at 2-0 for Itas Trentino after the 3-0 win on March 31st at IlT quotidiano Arena (scores of 27-25, 25-20, 25-22) and the 3-1 victory on  April 3rd  in Monza (scores of 25-15, 21-25, 25-18 and 25-18). Only in the event of a victory for Mint Vero Volley in this weekend's challenge, the two teams will return to the Opiquad Arena for game 4, to be played on Thursday 11 April at 8.30 p.m. in Brianza. Game 5, should it be necessary, is instead scheduled for Sunday,  April 14th at 6 p.m., again in Trento. Whoever passes the round will find the winner of Perugia-Milan in the final (series 1-1, game 3 on Sunday in Umbria).
THE REFEREES The match will be refereed by the pair made up of Ilaria Vagni (of Perugia) and Rossella Piana (of Carpi - Modena), respectively in their fifteenth and fourteenth season's direction referring to SuperLega teams. For Vagni, in the Series since 2003 and international since 2011, the most recent match in relation to Trentino Volleyball is related to 10 March (victory in the tie break in Modena); for Piana, in the role since 2005 and international since 2015, the last encounter with the Gialloblù colours is related to 14 February (home victory against Civitanova in four sets).
RADIO, INTERNET AND TV Game 3 will be reported live by Radio Dolomiti, Trentino Volley's media partner. The frequencies to listen to the regional network can be found on the website www.radiodolomiti.com, where it will also be possible to follow the live radio commentary in streaming.
The service (with fee) on the OTT platform "Volleyball TV" is also confirmed. More information on how to use it can be found at https://it.volleyballworld.com/volleyball-tv-it.
On television a summary will be aired on Monday  April 8th 2024 at 21.45, on RTTR - Trentino Volleyball's media partner.
On the internet, point-to-point updates will be provided by the Lega Pallavolo Serie A website (www.legavolley.it) and by www.trentinovolley.it and will always be active on the Gialloblù social networks (www.trentinovolley.it/facebook, www.trentinovolley.it/instagram and www.trentinovolley.it/twitter).
TICKET OFFICE The match is only included in the "Full" season ticket type. Tickets are "sold out"
YOUTH TOURNAMENT 3X3 OUTSIDE THE PALAZZETTO IN THE EARLY AFTERNOON Volleyball will be the protagonist outside the ilT quotidiano Arena already four hours before the start of the match. Starting at 1 p.m. at the cashiers' square, where ten courts will be installed for the occasion, a 3x3 youth tournament will be held for the Minivolley and Under 12 categories, which will see the participation of three local clubs such as STS Bolzano, Lagaris Volley and C9 Arco Riva in addition to Trentino Volley, organiser of the event; it will involve one hundred and twenty youngsters.
There will be a refreshment point, entertainment with a DJ and an ad hoc area dedicated to children. At the end of the event all participants will be able to follow the match from the stands and, at the end of the match, the prize-giving ceremony will take place, which will also be attended by the Italian Champion players of Itas Trentino.

Trentino Volley Srl
Press Office