Gianlorenzo Blengini started his first season in the Italian women's club championship with a victory. The coach of the Bulgarian national team led Numia Vero Volley Milano to a 3:0 (25:20, 25:22, 25:20) win against Il Bisonte Firenze in the first round of Serie A1.
In front of 4460 spectators at "Allianz Cloud", the big star for the hosts was Paola Egonu. The Italian international finished with 27 points and was named MVP.
The first set was evenly matched until 15:15, when two consecutive blocks by Anna Danesi and Cali Lanier gave Milano a 17:15 lead. The hosts held onto their advantage and closed the set at 25:20.
Firenze put up the strongest resistance in the second set. The score remained tied until 22:22, but in the decisive rallies, Milano was the more stable team. Eleonora Fersino saved a difficult ball in defense, and Egonu led the hosts to 25:22. The visitors started the third set strongly and took a 15:11 lead. Milano caught up and turned the score around to 20:18, and at 24:20, Egonu ended the match with an ace.
Blocking proved to be one of the key elements for the victory – 11 points for Milano against only 1 for Firenze. Egonu was the top scorer with 27 points, Lanier added 8, and Danesi finished with 7, including 4 blocks. For Firenze, Cugno scored 16 points, Caruso – 9, and Damasque – 8.
"It was very emotional because everything is new. I admit that this debut excited me. The first match always has a special taste, even when you're leading the same team from the previous year, let alone with such a big change. It was very nice because when you win in front of such a crowd and in such a beautiful hall, the feeling is always special. If I had to choose one word, it would be 'exciting'," Blengini said after the victory.
For the Italian, this was his first match as a coach in the women's Serie A1, but not his first visit to "Allianz Cloud". Last season, he watched Milano from the stands.
"I was here as a spectator to watch the team last year, and I know how much warmth, affection, and love there is for the girls. We are still getting to know each other, and they are great because from day one they accepted me with exceptional readiness. They handle difficult moments in matches calmly, without it disrupting their technical play, and continue to seek their own volleyball. This is very important in such a difficult championship."
Blengini was also firm about his approach to a team that, even before his arrival, possessed very high individual class.
"This is a team with a lot of quality. We know there are others like it, and some say they even have more. When a team has so much quality, before you change something, you have to be sure, because something that works very well doesn't necessarily need to be changed. If we can, together we will perfect certain things and moments. I try to approach it humbly, without overturning everything, and gradually, if I can add even a small drop to these top-level athletes, that will already be a lot. Really a lot."
Already in the second round, there will be a match with a Bulgarian accent. On October 11, Milano will visit CBF Balducci HR Macerata, where Blengini will face Bulgarian international Mikaela Stoyanova. The match starts at 5:00 PM Bulgarian time.
