Italian champion Sir Safety Susa Perugia started its participation in the Oji Cup World Challenge Series 2026 with a victory. In the first of two tests against Japanese Suntory Sunbirds, Angelo Lorenzetti's team won 3:1 (25:22, 19:25, 25:21, 25:16) on October 7.
Romanian international Daniel Chitigoi, with Bulgarian roots, son of former Bulgarian national Radosvtina Gradeva, finished the match with 11 points. For the 21-year-old outside hitter, this is his first season in the Japanese championship.
The most effective scorer for Suntory was former Perugia opposite Wassim Ben Tara with 16 points. Before the start of the match, the president of the Italian club Gino Sirci presented a special plaque to the Tunisian in gratitude for his three seasons with the "devils" team.
The main attacking burden for the hosts was taken by Belgian Ferre Reggers, who distinguished himself with 20 points, including two aces and three successful blocks. Ukrainian national Oleh Plotnytskyi was chosen as the most valuable player, having scored five aces and a total of 12 points.
Middle blockers Francesco Crosato with 13 points and Agustin Loser with 11 also played a strong match. French outside hitter Mathis Enard came off the bench and added another 12.
After Perugia won the first set, the Japanese equalized with a convincing performance in the second. However, the hosts gradually imposed their superiority from serve, and in the fourth set, they took a 7:1 and 10:2 lead, which practically decided the outcome of the match.
The serve proved to be the strongest weapon of the Italians. They recorded an impressive 15 aces against only four for Suntory. Perugia finished with 53% attack efficiency, 57% positive reception, and nine successful blocks. The Japanese team's statistics were 49%, 41%, and six blocks, respectively.
The second match between the two teams is scheduled for today at 8:30 PM Italian time (9:30 PM Bulgarian time).
Suntory Sunbirds will also be among the participants in the international tournament Jesi Volley Cup on October 10 and 11 in Italy. There, Chitigoi and his teammates will face competition from Lube Civitanova, where brothers Alex and Simeon Nikolov play, Allianz Milano with Georgi Tatarov, and Greek Olympiacos, whose team includes Martin Atanasov.
Thus, the competition in Jesi will bring together four Bulgarian volleyball players and the Romanian international of Bulgarian origin, Daniel Chitigoi.
photos:sirsafetyperugia.it
