Pool Libertas also wins Game 2 and flies to the Italian Cup quarter-finals

POOL LIBERTAS CANTU’ 3

KEMAS LAMIPEL SANTA CROCE 2

(25-23, 24-26, 25-18, 19-25, 16-14)

POOL LIBERTAS CANTU’: Pedron 1, Gamba 19, Galliani 15, Bacco 8, Aguenier 16, Monguzzi 10, Butti (L1), Quagliozzi, Picchio, Magliano 3. NE: Gianotti, Rossi, Ottaviani, Pellizzoni (L2). All: Denora Caporusso, 2nd All: Zingoni (winning serves 2, missed serves 15, blocks 11).

KEMAS LAMIPEL HOLY CROSS: Coscione 6, Lawrence 14, Allik 11, Colli 7, Mati 14, Cargioli 5, Loreti (L1), Gatto 10, Giannini, Russo, Parodi 10, Brucini 1, Petrati. NE: Gabbriellini (L2). All: Bulleri, 2nd All: Pagliai (4 winning serves, 25 wrong serves, 12 blocks).

Referees: Marco Pasin (Turin) and Barbara Manzoni (Lecco)

Video check attendant: Luca Rovagnati

Pool Libertas Cantù repeats the result of the first leg, beats Kemas Lamipel Santa Croce for the second time in a week, and reaches the Quarter Finals of the DelMonte® Coppa Italia, where it will face Yuasa Battery Grottazzolina.

Coach Francesco Denora Caporusso fields Matteo Pedron as setter, Kristian Gamba as opposite, Andrea Galliani and Andrea Bacco as spikers, Gianluca Rossi and Jonas Aguenier as central defenders, and Luca Butti as libero. Coach Michele Bulleri responds with Manuel Coscione at setter, Klistan Lawrence opposite, Karli Allik and Leonardo Colli at the back, Antonio Cargioli and Pardo Mati at center, and Luca Loreti libero.

At the start of the first set, Kemas Lamipel tries to escape with an ace from Lawrence (4-6), but Aguenier blocks Allik to equalize at 7. We continue fighting ball after ball, with neither team managing to take more than a point ahead until Monguzzi’s block on Mati who convinces Coach Bulleri to stop the game (19-17). Upon returning to the field, the Tuscans immediately found the score at 19, but Monguzzi, Gamba and Bacco pushed them back (22-19). Colli hits the net and delivers the first set point to Pool Libertas, but Brucini’s ace convinces Coach Denora Caporusso to stop everything (24-23). Upon returning to the court, Galliani closes the set for his team (25-23).

At the beginning of the second set Kemas Lamipel raises the wall and flies ahead (1-5). We continue fighting ball after ball until the one-two between Galliani and Gamba which brings Pool Libertas back under (8-9). The balance is broken by two consecutive blocks from Mati, first on Aguenier and then on Gamba, and Coach Denora Caporusso wants to talk about it (14-18). Aguenier plays the charge, Bacco puts the -1 ball on the ground, and Coach Bulleri stops everything (17-18). An invasion by Pedron relaunches Santa Croce’s action (17-20), but Lawrence is first blocked by Monguzzi, then attacks outside, and it is tied at 20. The two teams remain tied in the score, Galliani responds to Parodi, and we go to the advantage with the ball in the Tuscan half of the field. Two hands-off attacks from Lawrence give him the lead (24-26).

At the beginning of the third set Aguenier carries the team on his shoulders, and his turn on serve launches his team (7-3). Gamba lands the internal +5 (10-5), but Kemas Lamipel doesn’t stand by and stays in the wake (12-9). An invasion of the Cantù wall, and Santa Croce is at -2 (14-12). Pedron blocks a Colli one, pushes the guests back, and Coach Bulleri stops the game (17-13). Upon returning to the field, Pool Libertas does not lose the rhythm, and an ace from Gamba brings the maximum home advantage (20-13, partial of 5-0). Allik’s turn of service allows him to get back behind (23-18), but an attack outside by Parodi gives the partial to Cantù (25-18).

At the beginning of the fourth set Kemas Lamipel tries to escape, but Gamba finds parity at 6. Coscione blocks Bacco for the new external +2 (6-8), and an error in the reconstruction of Pool Libertas convinces Coach Denora Caporusso to stop the game (8-12). Upon returning to the pitch, Santa Croce does not lose its pace and, aided by a couple of errors from the Canturini, extends (8-14). Mati’s turn of service, seasoned with an ace, allows the Tuscans to make the decisive break (11-19). Cantù tries to mend the gap (18-23), but the guests only need to play the ball exchange perfectly to send the match to a tie break with Gatto (19-25).

At the beginning of the fifth set Kemas Lamipel immediately took the double advantage thanks to a block by Mati on Gamba (0-2), but Cargioli attacked out and it was tied at 4. Gamba scored the first internal advantage of the set (6-5) , Aguenier gives his team the +2, and Coach Bulleri stops the game (9-7). Upon returning to the field, Allik puts everything back on level terms at 9. Magliano and Gamba regain the double advantage for Pool Libertas (12-10), but a second line invasion by Gamba and an ace by Gatto send this partial to the advantage too , with Coach Denora Caporusso who wants to talk about it (14-14). Gatto strikes out, Aguenier blocks Parodi, and delivers set to match to him (16-14).

These are the words of Coach Francesco Denora Caporusso at the end of the match: “This was also a fluctuating match, a bit like Game 1. At this moment it is difficult for us to have continuity in the good game, it is quite normal after all that time of inactivity on the competitive side. It was okay, and in fact it was an open challenge because they too were in the same conditions as us. But these are the rules, and we have to adapt and always try to do our best. We did well to always stay in the game despite that somewhat ugly fourth set. I would also like to give a round of applause to our young people: to Bacco, because he gave us a nice balance in the second line that we needed; in Magliano, because he made a really important tie break, where we needed his push in attack. These games from inside or outside will be very useful for their future, if they find them again later. Today, then, we just couldn’t lose it because we had promised it to Captain Dario Monguzzi: it was his day, and we wanted to dedicate the victory to him. This group’s last dance has to wait a little longer.”