Jesi.Grottazzolina won the Marche region derby, defeating Lube Civitanova in a dramatic five-set match 3:2 (25:15, 21:25, 22:25, 25:22, 19:17) to claim third place in the Jesi Volley Cup tournament. Nationals Georgi Tatarov and Iliya Petkov played the entire match, while Lube's staff had rested their national team players, including Alex Nikolov, who played in the semi-final against Allianz Milano.
Match progression
After a weak first set, in which the white-and-reds still seemed sluggish from training, Lube recovered and won two consecutive sets, thanks to stable serving and an effective block. In the fourth, however, Grottazzolina applied pressure through stable reception and attacking power, leveling the score. In the decisive tie-break, Lube had the chance to close out the match but missed a match point, and Yuasa capitalized, closing with 19-17 after a series of decisive performances by Tatarov and Petkov.
| Yuasa Battery Grottazzolina | Points |
|---|---|
| Tatarov | 26 (57% attack efficiency, 2 blocks) |
| Fedrizzi | 15 |
| Magalini | 13 |
| Petkov | 8 |
| Pelacani | 8 |
The Bulgarian duo in Grottazzolina's lineup stood out with a strong performance. Georgi Tatarov was unstoppable with 26 points and key attacks at the end of the tie-break, while middle blocker Iliya Petkov brought stability to the block and contributed eight important points.
Lube showed potential but also a lack of synchronization – 30 service errors with only 6 aces suggest an overly risky approach. Despite good performances by Poriya and Tenorio, Medei's team failed to find consistency in decisive moments. In contrast, Grottazzolina demonstrated maturity and better discipline in long rallies.
For Lube, the Jesi Volley Cup was a useful test before the start of the SuperLega, while Grottazzolina showed that they will be a dangerous opponent even outside their home court – with a Bulgarian accent in the form of Tatarov and Petkov, who were at the heart of their success.
photos: Nikolay Varadinov
