A furious Sir Volley Perugia sees the Scudetto close

by Daniele Sborzacchi

Furious. This is the adjective to best define the performance of Sir Volley Perugia who regained the lead in the Scudetto series by beating tough Monza again, in a PalaBarton with a new attendance record. Because after the bitter pill of game 2, Giannelli and his teammates took to the field with monstrous competitive fury, playing perfect volleyball for over an hour, punctuated by an understandable decline that only partially revived the ambitions of the Brianza team. Ten blocks (5 by Flavio, 4 by MVP Ben Tara) and 9 aces to seal a performance of great substance, embellished with signature gems (read Leon in the final). And then on Sunday, in Monza, here is the first Scudetto match point.

Departure at full speed Perugia starts with the desire to break the world and Monza immediately finds itself under a storm from which it is difficult to escape. The serve makes the difference, Giannelli and his teammates take turns hurting the Brianza team (5 aces, a couple of Semeniuk), as well as with the block where the Umbrians dictate the law. In practice the balance lasts a few points, then the Block Devils take off thanks also to an unleashed Plotnytskyi, eager to erase the dull performance of game 2.

Oleh show The script doesn’t change in the second set, with Monza initially playing a little looser but soon starting to suffer from the pressure on the Perugians’ serve again. The absolute protagonist is always Oleh ‘magic left-handed’ Plotnytskyi, capable of knocking down any ball that comes his way. A sumptuous block from Flavio definitively launches Sir who, driven by the heat of the PalaBarton, sees success ever closer.

Brianza reaction However, it is enough to lift your foot slightly from the accelerator and some ghosts will resurface around the PalaBarton. Because Monza is not a team that gives up easily (ask Trento), a few too many errors from the Block Devils gives courage back to Eccheli’s team, dragged into the third set by the Japanese Takahashi and by a Galassi who has returned to the ‘national format’. The final part is exciting, first Perwugia cancels two set-points with Ben Tara, then Maar’s lucky ace extends the match.

Leon’s roar Inertia seems to be slipping towards Brianza, but in reality for the guests it is an illusion. Because Perugia’s wall is sumptuous, despite the guests finding good offensive solutions to try to fill the gap. And at the end, the ovation of the 5000 of Pian di Massiano is all for ‘His Majesty’ Leon, who shows off two consecutive aces allowing the Block Devils to put the victory in the fridge.

Perugia – Monza 3-1
(25-15, 25-18, 24-26, 25-19)
PERUGIA: Giannelli 3, Ben Tara 20, Flavio 8, Semeniuk 12, Plotnytskyi 14, Russo 9, Colaci (16% perfect), Herrera, Leon 6, Solè, Held. Ne Candellaro, Ropret, Toscani. All.: Lorenzetti
MONZA: Loeppky 17, Maar 11, Galassi 9, Takahashi 14, Cachopa 2, Di Martino 5, Gaggini (24% perfect), Visic, Szwarc 1, Mujanovic. In Comparoni, Morazzini, Beretta. All.: Here they are
REFEREES: Goitre – Piana. Set duration: 26′, 33′, 36′, Viewers: 4986