Conegliano, the hunt for the tricolor starts tomorrow. At PalaVerde there is match 1

Probably the most awaited moment of the season has arrived. The championship final opens tonight at the PalaVerde, in which Prosecco Doc Imoco Conegliano will take part for the seventh consecutive season.

Facing them will not be Allianz Vero Volley Milano, as one might have expected just a few months ago, but Savino Del Bene Scandicci, playing for the first time in this final act of the race for the tricolour, which in its semi-final eliminated Egonu and teammates without giving up even a set.

This is the clear demonstration that often it is not the strongest who wins, but the one who arrives at the appointment in the best physical and mental conditions. And this is what the Panthers hope to continue the march towards a slam that would truly be incredible.

The match will be played at 8.30pm and will be broadcast live on RAI SPORT HD (ch 58 dtt) and SKY SPORT ARENA (ch 204 satellite), as well as on the website www.volleyballworld.it.

Previous and former

31 matches have been played, with 26 yellow-blue victories and 6 white-blue victories. This year in the regular season for the Panthers two victories, 3-1 away from home and 3-0 at Palaverde. In the playoffs the two teams have challenged each other twice, but in the semi-final with both Conegliano successes 2-0 in 2017 and 2021.

Important crossovers expected: in Conegliano the Swedish opponent Isabelle Haak (in Tuscany from 2017 to 2019) and the Italian powerhouse Marina Lubian (from 2019 to 2022) play.

The eve of the protagonists

The coach presents the challenge Daniele Santarelli: «We have never played a final with Scandicci so it will be an unprecedented opponent for us. For many it was a surprise because Milan was considered the favorite, but the Tuscans deserved this championship final with two great performances. It is a team with players who need no introduction, champions who have won everything at world level with clubs and national teams, experience to spare and in fact this year they have played a great season so far, coming close to the final of the Italian Cup and also in the Champions League with Eczacibasi they came very close to going through. We therefore find ourselves facing an opponent equipped to win who will arrive at the Palaverde with great enthusiasm, it will be a very difficult match for us because the Tuscan team is not the one we faced and beat in the regular season, many athletes have grown and found conviction and compactness in the last period; it’s a balanced team, strong in attack, strong in blocking, very physical, fearsome serve, it won’t be easy at all, but we know that if we play at our best we are strong against anyone. Of course we won’t be able to afford a performance like our game 2 in Novara which will have to serve as a lesson for us, we will need our best match and we trust a lot in the help of our fans to start well who I’m sure will respond greatly in this final and will support us as he has done all season.”

So instead the captain Johanna Wolosz: «In the end we managed to reach the end of all the competitions, it was our goal, and now we can focus on the championship final. The semi-final against Novara was very tough, we struggled, but we managed to reach the final by playing a great match 3, even in the final we will need our best version on the pitch because this year the championship playoffs had a very high level that will elevate even more in this championship final. This time they are a new opponent compared to recent years, for the first time we will play for the championship with Scandicci who have proven to be a great team throughout this season and it will be wonderful to face them. In the Tuscan team there are incredible champions, girls who have made and continue to make volleyball history and for me it will be a particular emotion and stimulus to face Maja (Ognjenovic) who plays in the same position as me and was one of my idols, a Fantastic player who will be a pleasure to face. An uncertain and hard-fought series awaits us, we will have to start well on Wednesday and I am happy that we are at full strength because we will need everyone. We’ll start in our Palaverde and it will be important because this year, perhaps more than any other season, playing in our stadium is a fantastic experience, an all-yellow-blue show that energizes us, we can’t wait to start the final.”