Cucine Lube Civitanova recorded a clean victory in their first preseason friendly match against a SuperLega opponent. In San Severino Marche, the Italian vice-champions defeated Cisterna 3-0 (25:22, 25:22, 25:21) in front of 600 spectators.
Alex Nikolov was the top scorer in the match with 12 points and the only player to finish with a double-digit total. The Bulgarian international also added one of Lube's five aces, with the second set being particularly strong for him, in which he scored 6 points.
Simeon Nikolov started as the main setter and remained on the court until 19:19 in the third set, when he was replaced by Mattia Zoppellari. The 19-year-old Bulgarian finished with 1 point, and in the first part, it was his serving run that helped Lube erase an early 6:11 deficit and equalize at 12:12.
After the match, Simeon emphasized to the club's website that the team still needs time, as all players have only been together for a few days.
"It is very important for us to play such matches to get to know each other. We need to improve in simple situations like free balls, but also in defense. I am sure we will be ready for the debut in Verona," said Nikolov.
Lube had a slight advantage in blocks - 10 against 8, while the two teams were close in attack efficiency - 41% for the team from Civitanova against 40% for Cisterna. Jackson Howe and Jan Kliemes recorded 3 blocks each. For Cisterna, the 18-year-old Frenchman Noah Duflo-Rossi, who is owned by Lube but plays on loan for the Lazio team this season, also started as a starter. The young outside hitter finished the match with 7 points.
The next serious test for Alex and Simeon Nikolov will be the Jesi Volley Cup tournament on October 10 and 11, and on October 17, Lube will start the SuperLega season with an away game against Verona.