Italian
The men’s national volleyball team is eliminated in the quarter-finals of the VNL. The United States wins 0-3 (22-25, 21-25, 21-25)
NINGBO (CHINA) – It wasn’t an easy match. The United States is certainly one of the best teams in the world and the ItalVolley men’s team is not yet at its best, also due to the absence of Alessandro Michieletto. Yet, there is still a bit of regret.
The Azzurri were unable to play as they know how and reflect a bit of the entire journey full of ups and downs that has characterized them in this edition of Volleyball Nations League. Three victories in Ottawa in week 1, two in Ljubljana in week 2, and three in Osaka in week 3. Finally, the Finals in Ningbo. Lasting only one match.
At the Beilun Sport and Arts Centre, Italy was defeated 0-3 (22-25, 21-25, 21-25) by the United States in a match that was almost always a chase. In the first set, the opponents stayed ahead, only to see the Azzurri make a comeback to tie at 17. It was a point-for-point battle, but in the end, it was the North Americans who closed it out at 22-25.
In the second set, the blues take the lead only to be overtaken and never get back into the game for the final 25-21. The third set, however, is much more balanced with Italy going ahead by four (13-9). The USA recovers and ties again at 17 before taking control of the match and closing it out at 25-21.
The last quarter-final will be played today at 1:30 PM Italian time between Poland and Ukraine, with the winner facing Slovenia. The other semi-final will see USA against Japan.
Match gallery HERE
The scorecard
ITALY – USA 0-3 (22-25, 21-25, 21-25)
ITALY: Giannelli 1, Bottolo 14, Mati 4, Romanò 16, Lavia 2, Sanguinetti 7, Balaso (L). Laurenzano, Sbertoli, Sani, Porro. N.e: Galassi, Russo, Bovolenta. Coach: De Giorgi.
USA: Averill 5, Christenson 2, Champlin 11, McHenry 2, Hanes 21, Anderson 13, Shoji (L). Jendryk, Robinson, Ma’a 1, Hartke. N.e: Briggs, De Falco, Knigge. Coach: Kiraly
Referees: Simonovic Vladimir (SUI), Jurkovic Ksenija (CRO)
Duration: 27’, 28’, 30’
Italy: a 5, bs 14, m 4, et 17.
USA: a 14, bs 15, m 3, et 17.
The statements
These are the words of the coach Ferdinando De Giorgi: “Like all the boys, I am disappointed. We must congratulate the United States, because they played a very intense match and generally played well. We, on the other hand, despite the difficulties posed by this match, did not play as we wanted. We suffered too much in reception, conceded too many aces and half points. In attack, however, we held our ground, looking at the statistics as well, but clearly we were penalized by our team’s performance in reception. It is perhaps the first time we have experienced such a high number of points conceded. We must acknowledge this and face it calmly, because I have no doubt about the quality of the boys, the group, and what we need to do. It is certainly a shame, because it takes a lot of effort to get this far and we would have liked to compete better. Ahead of us is the highlight of this season, the European Championships, and so apart from this moment of disappointment, we will draw a line to focus on the positive aspects.
This was a VNL in which, for various reasons and opportunities, we played with many boys. This was a positive thing, because there were good responses and the opportunity to help them grow. Now we cannot encapsulate everything in one match, and the result of this match should not overshadow, but illuminate. Because now we need to see the things we can do better and prepare with great confidence for the European appointment.”
Luca Porro (video HERE): “Today was a really tough match. I think it’s clear that they served very well and we struggled in reception. However, this will be a point to work on for improvement. Congratulations to them for playing a great match. Today’s result doesn’t undermine the journey we’ve made to reach the Finals. It has been a long VNL, played with many players, and I think it can be summarized as a good achievement.”
Yuri Romanò (video HERE): “Yes, they were good at serving and let’s say that when we managed to keep the ball in our court we played on equal terms. In the first set, in this regard, definitely better than them. Then obviously with so many aces it’s hard to stay close and play. This ultimately affected the final result. We are really sorry, because we were here to do much more and we believed in it a lot. We will learn from this defeat.
We will start again from the path we have taken. We played this competition with many athletes and many young players, who showed great value. We will regroup to best prepare for the European Championship, which we care about particularly.”
Photo & Video Credits: Federvolley.it
