Akademia Messina-Lecco 3-0
Set: 25-20; 25-14; 25-15
Akademia Messina: Norgini, Olivotto 7, Carraro (k) 7, Modestino 8, Rossetto 7, Mason 12, Trevisiol ne, Caforio (l1), Babatunde 1, Guzin, Diop 14. All. Bonafede.
Lecco: Monaco 5, Amoruso 5, Napodano (l), Mainetti, Moroni 7, Conti ne, Sassolini 1, Piacentini (k) 4, Casari, Atamah 2, Mangani 7, Severin ne. All. Gianfranco Milano
Referees: Claudia Lanza and Luigi Pasciari from Naples.
The Akademia Sant’Anna Messina holds on to the top, overcoming the insidious Orocash Picco Lecco by 3 to 0 and gaining the ticket to the quarter-finals of the A2 Italian Cup with two rounds to spare. At Palarescifina the Lombard formation that had interrupted the San Giovanni In Marignano march seven days earlier is forced to suffer the same fate as those who preceded it.
Carraro and her teammates played the match at a slow pace so as not to give their opponents a chance to gain confidence. A match plan interpreted perfectly with Lecco who, after a positive first set, then faded away, while Akademia on the other hand took the lead, always keeping the key to the game firmly in their hands.
Coach Bonafede relies on what has become the basic lineup with Carraro as director and Diop as opposite, spikers Mason and Rossetto with Olivotto and Modestino at the center, while libero Caforio directs the defense. Confirmation of the termination of the contract with the American Adanna Rollins comes from the company and it is logical to imagine news from the market in the coming weeks to extend the roster.
Lecco sends Sassolini and Moroni onto the field to compose the setter-opposite diagonal, spikers Mangani and Amoruso, Piacentini-Atamah in the center with Napodano libero.
In the first set, Akademia put their heads ahead from the start, but without exceeding a two-point advantage: 4 to 2 on Mason’s attack and 5 to 3 on a play finalized by central Olivotto. Orocash Lecco clings to a good defense to not lose contact and also manages to make an impact at 6 all, but with patience and strong nerves Messina puts the arrow back: +4 at 10 to 6 which leads coach Milano to call a time out.
In the middle of the set, Akademia made the decisive break (22 to 17) signed by Mason and would never be recovered, closing it with Modestino.
In the following two sets the home team takes off from the start with a clean game and no drops in tension nipping the opposing ambitions in the bud. The 7-1 in the second is already a sign of the direction the match has taken. The gap grows to 14 to 6 and then in Mason’s turn at bat it reaches double figures (22-11) before resulting in the final 25 to 14. Messina controls the ball straight away even in the third (6-2, 8 to 5) while Lecco holds their own until halfway through the game, then coach Bonafede’s girls make the decisive extension and close with an ace from Rossetto.