Grottazzolina failed to secure a second victory since the start of the season in the Italian SuperLega and suffered their 14th loss after falling 0:3 (25:21, 25:23, 25:18) as a guest to Cuneo.
Bulgarian national player Iliya Petkov was not included in the "batteries'" squad, while Georgi Tatarov entered the game but made a negligible contribution " just 2 points. Despite being last in the standings, Grottazzolina's team had opportunities for more, especially in the first two sets.
The guests took the lead several times in the early stages, but the experience and class of Ivan Zaytsev, Marko Sedlacek, and company proved decisive. The most significant regrets are for the missed chances in the first and second sets, and even in the third, when Grottazzolina led 7:8 and stayed even until the middle of the set. After that, the hosts "stepped on the gas pedal" and convincingly closed out the match.
Match statistics
| Indicator | Cuneo | Grottazzolina |
|---|---|---|
| Blocks | 9 | 8 |
| Total points | 75 | 64 |
| Aces | 2 | 5 |
| Points from opponent errors | 22 | 20 |
Cuneo won the match mainly due to their more stable blocking play and better performance in key moments. Although Grottazzolina excelled in serving, including 3 aces from veteran Dragan Stankovic, this was not enough to compensate for fluctuations in attack and game organization.
Individual performance
For Grottazzolina, the only player with a double-digit score was Iranian Gozdeh with 16 points. For Cuneo, Ivan Zaytsev scored 14 points, and Marko Sedlacek added another 13 for the decisive victory.
With this victory, Cuneo moved away from the bottom of the standings and now occupies 9th place with 12 points, while the situation for Grottazzolina remains increasingly difficult with their ongoing negative streak.
photos: legdvolley.it
