MONZA, 20 APRIL 2024 – Afternoon to be experienced for the MINT True Volley MonzaThat tomorrow, Sunday 21 April, at 3.15 pm (live Rai Sport + HD and volleyballworld.tv), is ready to take the field in front of the home crowdOpiquad Arena, against the Sir Susa Vim Perugia, For Race-2 from the Scudetto final of SuperLega Credem Banca 2023-2024. The best of five matches are played and Monza, after the courageous performance expressed on Thursday evening in Game 1, lost at the end of a more balanced match than the result suggests, aims to draw the Series to certainly play another match (Game -4) in front of their supporters.
If anyone was hoping for an applause-worthy spectacle in the most important act of the season, they were satisfied in the first match of the Series that puts the tricolor up for grabs. Beretta and his teammates played decisive and determined volleyball: a mix of grit and quality that also allowed them to win the third set (managed with authority until the middle and then closed positively despite the comeback suffered by the block devils). However, the Brianza team lacked the decisive spark, especially in the fourth set, where Perugia made use of experience and greater freshness (the Umbrians, compared to the Monza team, played three fewer matches between the Quarter Finals and the Semifinals), with the devastating rounds in joke by Leon and Plotnytskyi.
Service, block-defense and a lot of determination: here are the qualities, in addition to grit and courage, essential to equalize the series, because Perugia is also the only Italian team that the Monza team has never managed to beat this season. In fact, there are four previous matches played, in addition to the last match: one in the Italian Cup Final played at the Unipol Arena in Casalecchio di Reno and two in the championship, with the constant Umbrian smile.
THE OPPONENT | SIR SUSA VIM PERUGIA
Angelo Lorenzetti’s team, the coach who won the Scudetto last year in Trento, reached the Play Offs as the second force in the tournament and then eliminated Verona in the quarter-finals in just three games and took one more to get the better of Milan in the Semi-final , always giving the feeling of having the pulse of the situation. In the ranks of the Perugian team all the athletes on the roster managed to carve out spaces for themselves and what made the difference was the strength of an amalgamated group in which there are many tenors and a single choir. The history of Sir recalls the victory of the tricolor in 2017/18 against Lube and five series of Scudetto finals lost, of which four against the Cucineri (2013/14, 2018/19, 2020/21, 2021/22) and one against Modena (2015/16). It will be the thirty-fourth match between the two teams, with 26 victories in favor of the Umbrians and seven for the Brianza. Three former players on the pitch: spiker Oleh Plotnytskyi, seen wearing the Consortium shirt for two seasons between 2017 and 2019; Perugia, however, will see the central defenders Beretta and Galassi again, who played with the Umbrians in 2014/15 and 2018/19 respectively.
COMPLETE ROSTER – MINT VERO VOLLEY MONZA
Setters KRELING, VISIC
Centers BERETTA, DI MARTINO, GALASSI, COMPARONI
Spikers MAAR, SZWARC, TAKAHASHI, LOEPPKY, MUJANOVIC
Free GAGGINI, MORAZZINI
Coach ECCHELI
COMPLETE ROSTER – SIR SUSA VIM PERUGIA
Setters GIANNELLI, ROPRET
Centrals RUSSO, CANDELLARO, SOLÉ, RESENDE GUALBERTO
Spikers LEON, PLOTNYTSKYI, HELD, HERRERA, BEN TARA, SEMENYUK
Free COLACI, TUSCANS
Coach LORENZETTI
PREVIOUS: 34 (7 successes Mint Vero Volley Monza, 27 successes Sir Susa Vim Perugia)
FORMER: Oleh Plotnytskyi in Monza in 2017/18, 2018/19; Thomas Beretta in Perugia in 2014/15; Gianluca Galassi in Perugia in 2018/19
CURIOSITY’
The pairings of the 2024 Scudetto Playoff semi-finals were the same as those presented in the identical phase of the 2024 Italian Cup draw, when Trento-Monza and Perugia-Milan were played in Bologna on 27 January, which then saw the challenge in the last act between Perugia and Brianza.
Analyzing the participations of the athletes of the two finalists, it emerges that for 19 of them it is the first Final ever of their careers: for Monza it is Thomas Beretta, who boasts 9 participations in the Play Offs without having reached the final act; Stephen Maar with 6 appearances, Gabriele Di Martino (4 participations) and Gianluca Gaggini (3 participations), among the players with the most ‘history’ from a Playoff point of view.
It is the first Scudetto Final also for Comparoni, Loepkky, Morazzini, Mujanovic, Takahashi and Visic (Mint Vero Volley Monza). Furthermore, Ran Takahashi is the second Japanese athlete to reach the Scudetto Finals after his compatriot Kato Yoichi, who succeeded twice (the first in 2002/03 with Treviso, winning the title, the second in 2004/05 with Perugia ).
Playoff participations of players in the Final
14 those of
Massimo COLACI (Sir Susa Vim Perugia). 2009/10 Verona, 2010/11 Trento, 2011/12 Trento, 2012/13 Trento, 2013/14 Trento, 2014/15 Trento, 2015/16 Trento, 2016/17 Trento, 2017/18 Perugia, 2018/19 Perugia, 2020/21 Perugia, 2021/22 Perugia, 2022/23 Perugia, 2023/24 Perugia.
11 those of
Simone GIANNELLI (Sir Susa Vim Perugia). 2012/13 Trento, 2014/15 Trento, 2015/16 Trento, 2016/17 Trento, 2017/18 Trento, 2018/19 Trento, 2020/21 Trento, 2021/22 Perugia, 2022/23 Perugia, 2023/24 Perugia.
9 those of:
Thomas BERETTA (Mint Vero Volley Monza). 2009/10 Treviso, 2013/14 Modena, 2014/15 Perugia, 2016/17 Monza, 2018/19 Monza, 2020/21 Monza, 2021/22 Monza, 2022/23 Monza, 2023/24 Monza.
Sebastian SOLÉ (Sir Susa Vim Perugia). 2013/14 Trento, 2014/15 Trento, 2015/16 Trento, 2016/17 Trento, 2018/19 Verona, 2020/21 Perugia, 2021/22 Perugia, 2022/23 Perugia, 2023/24 Perugia.
7 those of:
Davide CANDELLARO (Sir Susa Vim Perugia). 2014/15 Molfetta, 2015/16 Molfetta, 2016/17 Lube, 2017/18 Lube, 2018/19 Trento, 2020/21 Piacenza, 2023/24 Perugia.
6 those of:
Gianluca GALASSI (Mint Vero Volley Monza). 2017/18 Milan, 2018/19 Perugia, 2020/21 Monza, 2021/22 Monza, 2022/23 Monza, 2023/24 Monza.
Stephen MAAR (Mint Vero Volley Monza). 2017/18 Verona, 2018/19 Milan, 2020/21 Milan, 2021/22 Cisterna, 2022/23 Monza, 2023/24 Monza.
5 those of:
Wilfredo LEON VENERO (Sir Susa Vim Perugia). 2018/19 Perugia, 2020/21 Perugia, 2021/22 Perugia, 2022/23 Perugia, 2023/24 Perugia.
Oleh PLOTNYTSKYI (Sir Susa Vim Perugia). 2018/19 Monza, 2020/21 Perugia, 2021/22 Perugia, 2022/23 Perugia, 2023/24 Perugia.
4 those of:
Gabriele DI MARTINO (Mint Vero Volley Monza). 2016/17 Piacenza Copra, 2017/18 Piacenza Copra, 2022/23 Monza, 2023/24 Monza.
Roberto RUSSO (Sir Susa Vim Perugia). 2020/21 Perugia, 2021/22 Perugia, 2022/23 Perugia, 2023/24 Perugia.
3 those of:
Marco GAGGINI (Mint Vero Volley Monza). 2021/22 Monza, 2022/23 Verona, 2023/24 Monza.
2 those of:
Jesus HERRERA JAIME (Sir Susa Vim Perugia). 2022/23 Perugia, 2023/24 Perugia.
Fernando KRELING (Mint Vero Volley Monza). 2022/23 Monza, 2023/24 Monza.
Flavio RESENDE GUALBERTO (Sir Susa Vim Perugia). 2022/23 Perugia, 2023/24 Perugia.
Gregor ROPRET (Sir Susa Vim Perugia). 2022/23 Perugia, 2023/24 Perugia.
Kamil SEMENIUK (Sir Susa Vim Perugia). 2022/23 Perugia, 2023/24 Perugia.
Arthur SZWARC (Mint Vero Volley Monza). 2022/23 Monza, 2023/24 Monza.
Playoff rookies:
Sir Susa Vim Perugia (3 debutants): Wassim BEN TARA, Tim HELD, Alessandro TOSCANI.
Mint Vero Volley Monza (6 debutants): Francesco COMPARONI, Eric LOEPPKY, Flavio MORAZZINI, Nik MUJANOVIC, Ran TAKAHASHI, Petar VISIC.
HUNTING FOR RECORDS:
In the 2023/2024 Season Play Offs:
Gabriele Di Martino – 22 points at 100
Ran Takahashi – 30 points at 200
In the 2023/2024 season all competitions:
Arthur Szwarc – 20 points at the 500
Eric Loeppky – 24 points in the 400
Stephen Maar – 3 points at 500
Ran Takahashi – 7 points at 400
Play Offs in career:
Ran Takahashi – 30 points at 200
Eric Loeppky – 35 points at 200
Thomas Beretta – 6 points at 200
All competitions in career:
Arthur Szwarc – 29 points at 1300
Eric Loeppky – 36 points at 1300, 16 winning attacks at 1100, 2 winning serves at 100
Francesco Comparoni – 6 winning attacks at 200
Gianluca Galassi – 8 winning attacks at 1200
THE STATEMENTS
Massimo Eccheli (Coach MINT Vero Volley Monza): “We must not fall into the mistake of considering the glass half full, because, after the good performance in Perugia, we could run the risk of becoming complacent, and this would be a serious mistake. We have the possibility to play better, we can and must try to raise the bar starting from Sunday, aware of our qualities and determined not to give up anything.”
Scudetto Finals – SuperLega Credem Banca
Race 1
Thursday 18 April 2024, 8.30 pm
Sir Susa Vim Perugia – Mint Vero Volley Monza (3-1)
Live Rai Sport and VBTV
Race 2
Sunday 21 April 2024, 3.15pm
Mint Vero Volley Monza – Sir Susa Vim Perugia
Live Rai Sport and VBTV
Race 3
Thursday 25 April 2024, 6.00 pm
Sir Susa Vim Perugia – Mint Vero Volley Monza
Live Rai 2 and VBTV
Race 4 (possible)
Sunday 28 April 2024, 6.00 pm
Mint Vero Volley Monza – Sir Susa Vim Perugia
Live Rai Sport and VBTV
Race 5 (possible)
Wednesday 1 May 2024, 5.30 pm
Sir Susa Vim Perugia – Mint Vero Volley Monza
Live Rai 2 and VBTV
CHAMPIONSHIP FORMULA
The top 8 ranked in Regular Season participate. Quarters, Semifinals and Finals with the best of 5 matches. The Scudetto finalists access the Champions League 24/25. 3rd Place Final: the losing teams participate in the Semi-finals with the formula of 3 games won out of 5 (the winner advances to the Champions League 24/25, the loser to the CEV Cup 24/25). 5th Place Play Off: the four losers of the Scudetto Play Off Quarter Finals and the 9th and 10th classified at the end of the Regular Season play a one-way round-robin tournament (5 games for each team). Then Semi-finals and Final in a single match at the home of the best ranked team at the end of the tournament. The winner is qualified for the 2024/25 Challenge Cup.
Tags: Scudetto final act Monza awaits Perugia Opiquad Arena
