Without Alex Nikolov, who was serving a suspension due to accumulated cards, Cucine Lube Civitanova achieved a dramatic home victory against Allianz Milano with a score of 3:2 (22:25, 25:13, 25:15, 22:25, 15:7). The success at "Eurosuole Forum" secured a spot in the Italian Cup quarterfinals for the team from Civitanova Marche and became a sort of birthday gift for head coach Gianpaolo Medei.
The match offered significant fluctuations. The guests from Milano started more focused and won the first set, taking advantage of Lube's reception and defense inconsistencies. However, the hosts reacted decisively – with aggressive serving and stabilized blocking, they convincingly took the second and third sets.
Milano found its rhythm again in the fourth set and forced the match into a tie-break, but there Lube's class and squad depth prevailed. Civitanova dominated the decisive fifth set and closed out the match without unnecessary pressure.
The top scorer for the winners was Eric Loeppky with 23 points, excellently supported by Porya and Bottolo with 20 points each, as well as Gjerji with 10 points.
For Milano, Ferre Reggers finished with 18 points, Recine added 11, and Otsuka contributed 9 points.
Alex Nikolov watched the match from the stands, but despite his absence, Lube showed character and squad depth.
The match was part of the Italian SuperLega – 2025/2026 season, 11th round, and the victory confirmed Lube's stable form at a crucial stage of the campaign. Milano, however, left with the bitterness of being on the verge of an upset but failing to hold up physically and tactically in the decisive moments.
