Fano started the new season in the Italian Serie A2 with a victory, defeating Gioia del Colle 3:1 (25:11, 23:25, 25:15, 25:20) in a first-round match. The game pitted four Bulgarian national players against each other – Stoil Palev and Denis Karyagin against Vladimir Garkov and Boris Nachev.
All four Bulgarians started as regulars. Setter Stoil Palev finished with 3 points, while Denis Karyagin scored 14 and shared second place in scoring for the hosts with Cristiano Cattaneo. The most points for Fano were scored by captain Stefano Tondo – 16.

For the visitors, Vladimir Garkov recorded 8 points, and middle blocker Boris Nachev added 2. The top scorer for Gioia del Colle was Felice Sette with 16 points.

Fano started convincingly, with Palev surprising the opposing defense early on with a second-ball attack for 4:1. A little later, Karyagin and Palev made two consecutive successful blocks, with which the hosts increased their lead to 15:7. Fano continued to dominate and won the first set with a decisive 25:11.
In the second set, the hosts again took the lead, with Karyagin excelling with a block against the visitors' opposite Andrea Ferri. Fano reached 16:11, but Gioia del Colle made a 10:2 run and turned the tide. Boris Nachev contributed to the comeback with a successful block, and the visitors equalized after 25:23.

Marco Bonitta's team quickly regained control of the match. In the third set, Karyagin distinguished himself with a direct point from a serve for 18:12. A little later, Palev organized an attractive attack from the back row, successfully finished by the Bulgarian receiver for 22:15. It was Karyagin who scored the last point in the set, blocking his compatriot Vladimir Garkov for 25:15.

The fourth set started better for the visitors, with Garkov scoring an ace for 3:1. Fano, however, turned the score around and gradually asserted its superiority. At 21:17, Palev again demonstrated his blocking skills, stopping Sette's attack for 22:17. The hosts did not let go of the initiative and closed the match at 25:20.
In addition to good offensive organization, Palev also distinguished himself with his play at the net, and Karyagin made an important contribution in both attack, blocking, and serving. Particularly indicative were the interaction between the two for 22:15 in the third set and their successful blocks at key moments.

In the next round, on October 25, Fano visits Grottazzolina, and Gioia del Colle hosts Pineto.

photos:legavolley.it