After the Under 13 6×6 of Gas Sales Bluenergy Piacenza became regional category champions in the Final Four played in Piacenza (in the semi-final 3-0 against Zinella Vip Bologna while in the final they beat Bper Banca Modena 3-1), the the same team will be involved from Friday 14th and Saturday 15th June at the O.13 City of Treviso Trophy. There are 24 teams participating in the Under 13 national tournament: 8, including Gas Sales, who became regional category champions, 13 winners of as many qualifying stages and 3 invited teams. There are eight groups of three teams each, and Piacenza is placed in group A with Gonzaga and Padova. On Saturday morning, based on the various group rankings, the teams will be paired for the quarter-finals and will subsequently play semi-finals and finals from 5th to 24th place. In the afternoon the two finals will be played 3rd/4th place at 3.30pm and 1st/2nd place at 5pm. The team awards will follow and individual prizes will also be awarded to the best setter and best spiker of the event. The Gas Sales squad is made up of Jesse Chidiebere, Francesco Maria Bifulco, Giovanni Braghieri, Raffaele Guglielmetti, Enea Rossini, Antonio De Francesco, Nicolò De Francesco, Giorgio Cattivalli, Dimitrije Janicijevic, Ettore Fei, Lorenzo Bruno, Tommaso Losi, Diego Verdetti, Sergio Ferrari, Giulio Corvino. Coaches Renato Barbon and Nicola Barbon, companion Enrico Braghieri, team manager Alessandro Fei.
Important news for the youth sector of Gas Sales Bluenergy Piacenza is the definition of the new technical director of the red and white academy. Nicola Domenico Agricola has been called to supervise the activity for the next season. For the expert coach from Abruzzo, born in Filetto in the province of Chieti in 1957, it is a return to Piacenza: from the 2008-09 season until 2013 he was responsible for the youth sector and the project for the middle and elementary schools of the then Copra who played in A1. The choice of Agricola confirms Piacenza’s desire to continue to focus heavily on the youth sector which has grown in recent years from every point of view, bringing, among other things, Manuel Zlatanov to the first team. Agricola is a well-known name in the world of Italian youth volleyball: after taking his first steps close to home between Chieti, Pescara and Fano, also leading Chieti’s A1 team for three years, he began to tour Italy collecting important results in Lamezia (promotion to A2), Gioia del Colle and Vibo Valentia (A2 Serie Italian Cup) and constantly taking care of both the first team and youth activities. There are many players he discovered or trained and developed: from Galassi to Polo to Cavuto, Nelli and Giannelli in his experience in Trento, Magalini and Zanotti when he was in Verona, Piano and Massari in his first stay in Piacenza.
