In the photo, from left to right: Carlo Lico, Alessia Barbuto, Melanie Aiello, Felice Messina, Maria Teresa Mannella, Bruno Nardo, Nicola Scuticchio and Davide Lico
The adventure of the athletes of the “Giuseppe Berto” Scientific High School of Vibo Valentia at the National Student Table Tennis Championships, held in Isola d’Asti, a few kilometers from the Piedmontese capital, from 8 to 10 October last year ended with two good results. The Calabrian team, led by Sports Science professors Carlo Lico and Bruno Nardo, achieved an eighth place with the women’s team and a ninth place with the men’s team, in a competition that saw selections from 20 Italian regions on the field. Results that could have been better, considering that both teams met the winners and finalists of their respective categories in the preliminaries.
The formula and the path of the girls
The rules included two singles and a doubles, the best of three matches. The women’s team, made up of Alessia Barbuto and Melanie Aiello (reserve Maria Teresa Mannella; doubles pair Barbuto–Aiello), passed the non-elimination group stage – useful for determining the seedings – with a 2-1 victory over the Abruzzo team IIS “Volta” and two defeats: 1-2 against Trentino-Alto Adige (WFO Kunter) and 0-2 against Lombardia (IIS “Falcon”). In the round of 16 there was a 2-1 success over Marche (IIS “Orsini-Licini”), which allowed the “Berto” girls to reach the quarterfinals. Here, however, they had to surrender again (0-2) to the strong Lombard students, who went on to win the tournament ahead of the Friulians of ISIS “Magrini-Marchetti”. In the consolation tournament (valid for placings from 5th to 8th place), the Vibonesi were beaten 2-1 by Sicily (Liceo Scientifico “Palmieri”) and Sardinia (IIS Da Vinci), thus finishing with an eighth place finish.
The path of the boys
The men’s team, made up of Felice Messina and Nicola Scuticchio (reserve Davide Lico; doubles pair Messina–Scuticchio), placed second in the initial group, thanks to two victories (2-0 over the Sardinians of IIS “Da Vinci” and 2-1 over the Liceo Scientifico “Mancini” from Campania) and a narrow defeat (2-1 after the fifth set in the doubles) against Abruzzo, represented by Polo Liceale “Mattioli”. In the round of 16, the Vibo team faced Tuscany (Liceo Statale “Cecioni”), the tournament’s top seed, losing only in the decisive doubles match (1-2). The Tuscan team – which included among its ranks Sirio Meloni, a tennis player among the top 100 in Italy – then reached the final, losing to the Sicilian team IIS “Einaudi”. In the consolation tournament (from 9th to 20th place) Messina and Scuticchio achieved three consecutive victories: 2-1 against Campania, 2-0 against Veneto (ITES “Einaudi-Gramsci”) and 2-1 against Liguria (IIS “Colombo”), thus achieving a well-deserved ninth place overall.
A tradition that is confirmed
Overall, the Vibo table tennis school confirmed that it is competitive at a national level. The athletes Felice Messina, Nicola Scuticchio and Alessia Barbuto come from the ASD TT Piscopio, while Melanie Aiello plays in the ASD Atlantide of Vibo Valentia. Having archived the national season with satisfaction, it is already time for the “Berto” high school to look ahead: in a few months the provincial qualifiers will begin, followed in May by the regional finals, where the Vibono high school will be called to defend the title of regional champion won in the 2024-2025 school year.