In a postponed match from the first round of the regular season, Cucine Lube Civitanova suffered a 2-3 (18-25, 25-20, 25-19, 23-25, 15-8) game loss against Sonepar Padova at Kioene Arena. Despite the absence of the recovering Lagumdzija, who remained on the bench, Lube managed to secure the necessary point to consolidate third place in the standings and enter the Scudetto playoffs as the third seed.
With 43 points, Lube is out of reach for its pursuers Verona and Piacenza, who both have 36 points. For its part, Padova took an important step towards salvation with this victory.
Lube's next match is against Itas Trentino on Saturday (9:30 PM Bulgarian time) at ilT quotidiano Arena. Although the outcome of the match will not change the standings, it will serve as preparation for the Challenge Cup rematch in Turkey, scheduled for Tuesday, February 25, in Ankara.
Match statistics show Padova's superiority in blocking (13 successful) and serving (8 aces). Despite a 53% attack efficiency, Lube failed to prevail. The most productive players for the Marche team were Botolo (17 points), Dirlich (12), and Chinenyeze (10).
Alex Nikolov was second in scoring for his team with 13 points, with 45% attack efficiency and 27% positive reception.The national player played sporadically in the first two sets, then finished the match as a key player.
On the other side of the net, Porro shone with 24 points and was named MVP of the match, followed by Masulovic with 21 points and Sedlacek with 12.
Alex Nikolov commented after the match:"It was most important to win third place in the regular season! If we exclude the fact that we certainly don't like to lose, we can say that today's loss is painless. Now we stay here in Padova, rest for a day, and then back on the court in Trento. The goal is to show a better Lube."
Current Standings:
Sir Safety Susa Vim Perugia - 51 points
Itas Trentino - 51 points
Cucine Lube Civitanova - 43 points
Rana Verona - 36 points
Gas Sales Bluenergy Piacenza - 36 points
Allianz Milano - 33 points
Cisterna Volley - 23 points
Valsa Group Modena - 23 points
Sonepar Padova - 19 points
Yuasa Battery Grottazzolina - 18 points
Gioiella Prisma Taranto A 14 points
Mint Vero Volley Monza A 13 points
Team lineups:
Sonepar Padova:Falaschi 3, Porro 24, Plak 5, Massouleh 21, Sedlacek 12, Crosato 10, Toscani (libero), Stefani 2, Diez (libero), Pedron 0, Orioli 1. Did not play: Mayo Lieberman, Galliazzo, Truocchio. Coach: Cuttini.
Cucine Lube Civitanova:Bonifante 2, Bottolo 17, Chinenyeze 10, Dirlic 12, Leoppky 5, Podrascanin 6, Bisotto (libero), Gargiulo 3, Orduna 0, Balaso (libero), Hossein Hanzadeh 0, Nikolov 13. Did not play: Lagumdzija, Tenorio. Coach: Medei.
