Bulgarian national Mikaela Stoyanova played an impressive match against the world club champion Savino Del Bene (Scandicci), but Macerata missed an excellent opportunity to take points from one of the favorites in the Italian Serie A1.
In a match from the fourth round, the hosts lost 1:3 (14:25, 25:21, 24:26, 23:25), after leading 24:22 in the third set, but failed to convert two consecutive set points.
The 20-year-old Stoyanova started as a starter and finished with 25 points, equaling the achievement of Canadian national Kiera Van Ryk, who received the MVP award.
Scandicci started convincingly and won the first set 25:14. Macerata experienced serious difficulties in attack, with the hosts' efficiency being only 24% against 46% for the visitors.
The picture changed in the second set. Stoyanova took the main burden in attack and scored 7 points with 54% efficiency. The Bulgarian contributed significantly to the comeback and the 25:21 success, which brought the score level in the match.
The real drama occurred in the third set. Stoyanova was again a leading figure for Macerata with 8 points and 53% success rate in attack. On the other side, Kiera Van Ryk responded with 9 points at an impressive 72%.
The hosts took a 24:22 lead after a successful block by Susan Schoot and had two chances to lead 2:1 in sets. Van Ryk reduced the score to 23:24, after which an attack by Stoyanova went out for 24:24. Avery Skinner gave Scandicci the advantage, and Emma Graziani closed the set with a block for 26:24.
Despite the painful turnaround, Macerata did not give up in the fourth set. The hosts overcame a 0:3 deficit, and Stoyanova continued to be their main support in attack.
The Bulgarian scored important points for 16:16 and 22:22, and at 22:24, she successfully completed an attack again, reducing the score to 23:24. However, the last word belonged to Emma Graziani, who sealed the final 25:23 for Scandicci.
Besides Stoyanova, Susan Schoot and Beatrice Gardini scored 10 points each for Macerata. For the winners, Van Ryk finished with 25, Avery Skinner added 20, and Maja Aleksic – 10.
The two teams were almost equal in blocking – 11 points for Macerata against 10 for Scandicci. The difference came mainly from the attack and the better performance of the visitors in the decisive rallies.
"When you play against an opponent of such class and they give you opportunities, you must be able to use them. Big teams have the composure to resolve such situations in their favor," commented Macerata's head coach Valerio Lionetti. The coach admitted that the defeat leaves a bitter taste, but also sees positive signs in his team's performance.
"We are angry because we maintained the right attitude throughout the match, but it was not enough. We need to work even harder and improve our game, including in defense," added Lionetti.
For Stoyanova, the match was serious proof that she can be Macerata's leading scorer even against the world club champion. The Bulgarian national not only finished with the most points for her team but was also among the main figures in the two most contested sets.
photos: legavolleyfemminile and Nikolay Varadinov
