Italy will have a new Coppa Italia winner, after the world and European club champion Perugia eliminated the reigning holder Lube Civitanova with a 3:1 score (25:17, 22:24, 25:22, 25:16) and got revenge for the elimination in the league final, where the team from Civitanova played finals with Trento.
First set – collapse after an even start
The set started point for point until 9:9, with Alex Nikolov contributing early to the score. The moment after a Plotnytskyi ace for 11:9 proved crucial, unlocking an 8-point unanswered run for Perugia. Lube crumbled in reception and attack organization, and the hosts closed the set convincingly – 25:17, with 7 points from Ben Tara.
Second set – character and Nikolov's key role
This was Lube's strongest set. Alex Nikolov was a leader – an ace for 6:6, a stable attack from the back row, and crucial points at the end. At 18:18, the visitors showed a better reaction in counter-attack, and an ace from Leuppi secured the set – 22:24 and a 1:1 tie.
Nikolov finished the set with 8 points and 1 block, the most for Lube at that point.
Third set – balance until 20:20, then Perugia's class
The set was evenly matched, with consistent contributions from Nikolov – an ace for 8:7, attacks from the back court, and a successful check for block for 17:19. However, at 20:20, Perugia raised their level – an ace from Semeniuk, a solid block, and fewer errors decided the set – 25:22.
Fourth set – complete control by the hosts
Perugia set the rhythm from the start. Plotnytskyi's service run and communication problems between Nikolov and Bottolo led to an early lead. Although the Bulgarian reached his 15th point, Ben Tara's class and the hosts' solid block finished the match – 25:16.
Individual statistics – match leaders
| Player | Team | Points | Aces | Blocks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ben Tara | Perugia | 18 | 1 | 1 |
| Oleh Plotnytskyi | Perugia | 15 | 5 | 0 |
| Kamil Semeniuk | Perugia | 14 | 0 | 1 |
| Agustin Loser | Perugia | 9 | 0 | 3 |
| Alex Nikolov | Lube | 16 | 2 | 0 |
| Erik Loeppky | Lube | 12 | 1 | 0 |
| Mattia Bottolo | Lube | 14 | 2 | 1 |
Perugia had a more even distribution of points and a stronger contribution from the middle blockers, which is clearly evident in the block points ratio – 7:4 in favor of the hosts. Loser was key at the net with his three blocks, and Plotnytskyi made the difference from the serve with 5 aces that disrupted Lube's rhythm in critical moments.
The parity in aces (6:6) shows that Lube did not concede in this element, but the problems arose in transition and game organization after reception. Despite Alex Nikolov's 16 points and solid support from Bottolo and Loeppky, the visitors' efforts were only enough for one set won. Perugia was the cooler and more complete team in the key series, which proved decisive for the final outcome.
