Trento, 16 April 2024

Play Off, on Wednesday at ilT quotidiano Arena the Final for 3rd place (without Lavia)

The Final for the 3rd place Play Off Scudetto Credem Banca 2024 starts on Wednesday April 17 at the ilT quotidiano Arena in Trento. Itas Trentino is set to face Allianz Milano in the best-of-five series that will award the winner qualification to the 2025 CEV Champions League. Game 1 kicks off at 8.30 pm: live on Radio Dolomiti and streaming live on the OTT platform VBTV.
HERE ITAS TRENTINO Three days after game 5 of the Semifinals, the yellow-blue team returns to the court in front of their home crowd to try and confirm their place among the participants in the top continental championship for the sixth consecutive year.
"We must turn the page right away to get into the new confrontation that we are about to undertake and live these last three weeks with a single goal: to go beyond everything, looking for hidden resources - stressed coach Fabio Soli while presenting the match - . The guys have spent a lot during the whole season and even more in this last period in which bad luck has taken Sbertoli away from us; he will not be available to play for another ten days. The importance of the matches that await us and our will to compete for the next goals will be the stimulus that will guide us in our daily work and in every match we will face.  We will challenge a team that has demonstrated all its value in these Play Offs, both in the quarterfinals by eliminating Piacenza, and in the semifinals against Perugia, taken all the way to game 4. The bitterness of the epilogue of the series that just ended with Monza is natural, but the awareness that, one ball at a time, we will have the chance to add something precious to what we have done so far will once again be the fire in the soul of this team".
In addition to the national team’s setter (who will nevertheless be on the scoresheet), Itas Trentino will also have to do without spiker Daniele Lavia: tests carried out yesterday revealed a low-grade rectus abdominis injury that will prevent him from taking part in the match.
UNPRECEDENTED FINAL AND OPPONENT IN THE SCUDETTO PLAY OFFS Underway for the 21st Scudetto Play Off in the history of Trentino Volley; after having just missed out on access to the tenth Scudetto Final in its history, the Club from via Trener will take part for the first time in the match that awards the 3rd place (introduced in the 2022/23 season by the Lega Pallavolo Serie A), against an opponent like Milan that has never before found its way to this stage of the Italian championship. It will be match number 1,040 for the men’s team, and the 479th home match (378 victories, 100 defeats).
THE OPPONENTS Allianz Milano is preparing to play the second Final for 3rd place in its history in as many editions organised by Lega Pallavolo Serie A. Since this formula was introduced to award the last vacant pass for the CEV Champions League, the Milanese club has always taken part. In the previous season it did not find much luck, defeated by Piacenza against whom it did not win a single set in the three matches played. On this occasion it returns with renewed ambitions and with more energy than the opponent it will challenge, taking into account that it had six days to prepare for the appointment. The team coached by Roberto Piazza succumbed to Perugia in the semifinals, selling its skin dearly in all four matches of the series (in which it always won at least one set) and legitimising its second consecutive presence in European Cups. The most eagerly awaited player is certainly Matey Kaziyski, who will set foot in the ilT quotidiano Arena for the first time since the banner was installed with his number 1 jersey (retired by Trentino Volley in January). Together with opposite Reggers and spiker Ishikawa he forms a very effective high ball trio that setter Porro knows how to direct to the full.
BACKGROUND The tally of official matches between Trentino Volley and Powervolley Milano shows 24 encounters, with 21 victories for Trento, which was last defeated on November 26, 2022 at home (1-3), before gaining four consecutive victories: at the tie break on February 19, 2023 in Milan, six days later in Rome in the Coppa Italia semifinal, and then 3-1 in the first leg of this regular season, played in Lombardy on November 15 (22-25, 25-21, 19-25, 16-25), and 3-0 in the return match played in Trento on January 24 (25-21, 25-19, 25-21). The ‘Meneghini’ in their history have won only once in Trento in eight previous matches: on October 15, 2017 (2-3).
THE SERIES The Final for the 3rd place will be played at the best of five games; after game 1 on Wednesday night, the teams will be back on court in Milan for game 2 on Saturday, April 20 at 8.30 pm; game 3 will be played once again in Trento on Wednesday, April 24 at 8.30 pm. If necessary, game 4 would be played at the Allianz Cloud on Saturday, April 27 at 8.30 pm, while game 5 in Trentino on Tuesday, April 30 at 8.30 pm. Whoever wins three matches earns qualification to the 2025 CEV Champions League.
THE REFEREES Massimiliano Giardini, first referee from Verona, and Andrea Puecher, second whistle from Rubano (Padua) were appointed. For Giardini, on the roster since 2014, it's the sixteenth match of this SuperLega season; only one of which was with Trentino Volley: a 3-1 win against Milan at the Allianz Cloud on 15 November. For Puecher, in Serie A since 2003 and international since 2014, it’s also match number 16 in SuperLega; four matches were with Trento, including the 3-0 home win against Milan on 24 January.
RADIO, INTERNET, AND TV Game 1 will be reported live by Radio Dolomiti, media partner of Trentino Volley. 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 via streaming.
The (fee-based) service on the OTT platform 'VBTV' 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 Friday, April 19 at 4.30 pm on RTTR - Trentino Volley's media partner.
On the Internet, point-to-point updates will be provided by the Lega Pallavolo Serie A website (www.legavolley.it) and www.trentinovolley.it, and will always be active on yellow-blue social networks (www.trentinovolley.it/facebook, www.trentinovolley.it/instagram and www.trentinovolley.it/twitter).
TICKETS The match is only included in the Full season ticket type; those who do not have this type of card can purchase their tickets for the match at any time on https://trentinovolley.vivaticket.it/en/event/finale-play-off-30-posto-gara-1-itas-trentino-vs-milano/233817. The coupons still available will go on sale on Wednesday evening at the ilT quotidiano Arena cash desks, open from 7.30 pm (the same time at which the arena entrances will also open).

Trentino Volley Srl
Press Office