Numia Vero Volley Milano won their first match at the Club World Championship against Brazilian Gerdau Minas, coached by Nicola Negro, prevailing due to greater precision in key elements. Two easy sets and a third, in which they initially trailed (10-8), then went point-for-point until 25-25, before the decisive break by Kurtagic and Egonu. Paola Egonu was the top scorer for Milano with 18 points (40% attack efficiency, 2 aces, and 2 blocks), followed by Sylla and Kurtagic with 8 points each. For Gerdau Minas, Kisy Nascimento also scored 18 points.Radostina Marinova did not participate in the match.Numia Vero Volley Milano's next match is against the Chinese host Tianjin Bohai Bank, which is participating in the tournament for the fourth time. The match is scheduled for Wednesday, December 18, at 1:30 PM (Bulgarian time).
Alessia Orro after the match: "I am very happy: finally after more than a month I returned to the court and at first I was a little emotional. It wasn't easy to start playing immediately in such a tough tournament after so long, but I focused only on putting my teammates in the best position to play and we had a really good match. We have a tough group and this was an excellent way to start - with this 3:0 it couldn't be better."
Starting lineup: Milano started with Orro-Egonu, Sylla-Daalderop, Danesi-Kurtagic, and Fukudome as libero. Analysis: Both teams scored 35 points in attack, but Milano made fewer errors (13 against 20). The block was decisive with 8 points for Milano against 4 for the Brazilians. On service, Milano finished with 7 aces against 6 for Minas, making fewer errors (10 against 15). The match proceeded with complete superiority from the Italian team, which showed better play in all elements and deservedly achieved a 3:0 victory.
Gerdau Minas - Numia Vero Volley Milano 0-3 (17-25, 22-25, 25-27)
The other Italian participant in the championship, Prosecco Doc Imoco Conegliano, easily dealt with the Brazilian Dentil Praia, the South American vice-champion. Santarelli's team achieved a convincing 3-0 victory, with four players finishing with double-digit points: Gabi and Farr with 12 each, Ju and Haak with 11 each. The top scorer in the match was Kuznetsova from Dentil Praia with 14 points.