Trento, 06 October 2024

Itas Trentino-Gioiella Prisma Taranto 3-0, the match report

The match report. Rychlicki is back after an ankle injury suffered two weeks earlier in Florence in the Super Cup Four Final, but Soli prefers to confirm as opposite spiker of the starting six Gabi Garcia, who plays diagonally to setter Sbertoli; moreover, in the starting lineup the other players are Michieletto and Lavia at 4th place, Flavio and Kozamernik, who play at the center and Laurenzano as a libero. Taranto team of the former volleyball player Boninfante takes the field with Zimmerman as team leader, Lanza and Hofer as spikers, Rizzo as libero, and as middle blockers Alonso Roamy and D’Heer (honored before the beginning of the match for his three previous season as a player of Trentino Volley team).
Gialloblù start is immediate: with two blocks played by Flavio over Lanza and an ace by Michieletto, the locals have the edge over 6-2, forcing the guests to take refuge in a time out. During the upswing, D'Heer beats Lavia in reception (6-5) making the Ionians go up, but they immediately lose contact again (12-8) thanks to Michieletto, this time at the net. Itas Trentino gains speed again (14-10 and 16-11), taking advantage of two direct errors by opponents at the net (Lanza and D'Heer himself). Boninfante spends the last time out, but later his team finds no more opportunities (19-12 and 22-13) and already loses at 25-13 with Sbertoli, nailing a long series on serve.
The balance of power between the two teams remains unchanged in the second set. The European Champions immediately impose their presence with strong blocking and offensive plays (4-1 and 7-3), with Michieletto dominating at the net. Boninfante’s timeout fails to change the momentum, as the yellow-blue hitters score consistently (12-6) and apply pressure from the service line (Lavia’s ace for 14-8). The final phase of the set is comfortably controlled by the yellow-blue team (17-11, 20-15); Gioiella Prisma struggles beyond a solid side-out phase and concedes the set at 25-18. In the third set, Taranto benches Lanza for Held. This change keeps the score tight until 4-4. Then Michieletto steps up from the service line (7-4). The +3 lead holds until 12-9, before Michieletto and Gabi Garcia extend the gap with their attacks (14-9, Gioiella timeout). The gap seems set, but Trento suddenly faces a comeback from the visitors. Hofer leads with strong serves, including an ace to tie at 15-15 after a long rotation. The teams go point-for-point again (19-19, 21-21, 23-23). In the sprint to the finish, Itas Trentino saves a set point, pulls ahead with a Gabi Garcia block, and seals the win with Hofer’s pipe error (26-24).

Trentino Volley Srl
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