Lube Civitanova played one of their weakest matches since the start of the season and lost 3:0 (29:27, 28:26, 25:22) in their away game against Piacenza. The first two sets were a real thriller, with both decided in extensions. Especially in the first set, Lube had an excellent opportunity to close it in their favor, but instability in the decisive rallies proved fatal.

Bovolenta – the leader in big moments

Alessandro Bovolenta played an exceptionally strong match and was the big difference between the two teams. The Italian finished with 21 points, 2 aces, 2 blocks, and 61% attack efficiency. In crucial moments, he was almost flawless and carried a huge load in Piacenza's offense.

Turkish national player Efe Mandıracı also contributed significantly – 13 points, 1 ace, 1 block, and 52% in attack.

Lube – strong start, but collapse after missed chances

Civitanova started the match with energy and confidence, even leading at the end of the first set. However, missed set points rattled the team, and after the drama in the second set, the visitors completely lost their rhythm.

Bulgarian national player Alex Nikolov had a difficult evening – he was substituted several times and finished with 8 points, 1 ace, 37% in attack, but compensated with 100% perfect reception.
The only player with a double-digit score was Canadian Eric Loeppky – 10 points, 1 ace, and a very good 64% in attack.

The big story of the match was the family duel between Dante Boninfante, head coach of Piacenza, and his son Mattia, setter for Lube. The two already met last season, but the current clash came at a time when Lube plays dynamic and very fast volleyball, and Mattia has firmly established himself in a starting role.
This is the 16th match between the two clubs, with the balance before Lube's loss today being decisively in favor of the team from Marche – 13 wins against 2 for Piacenza. Interestingly, both of Piacenza's victories were achieved as guests in Civitanova. Last season, Lube won both regular season matches 3:0, and their highest-scoring duel recorded a total of 219 points at PalabancaSport.
After this match, Marko Podraščanin, who came into play and finished with 2 points, is 1 block away from an impressive 1300, and his colleague Simov is 3 blocks away from the 300 mark.

The standings situation and what's next

Despite their second loss in six matches, Lube continues to be at the top of the table and occupies third place in the SuperLega with 13 points.

On November 23, the team will visit Padua, where they will face Borislav Nachev's squad – a match that could prove crucial for stabilizing their form after the disappointment in Piacenza.