Allianz Milano defeated Cucine Lube Civitanova 3:1 (25:17, 38:36, 12:25, 25:21) in a direct clash in the battle for a higher ranking in the Italian SuperLega. With this success, the hosts recorded their tenth win of the season and came within two points of Lube, further complicating the guests' task in the fight for home-court advantage in the playoffs.

The match turned into a game of amplitudes, marked by a record-long second set and a phenomenal individual performance by Alex Nikolov, who won the scoring duel against Ferre Reggers, but this was not enough for a comeback.

First Set

The start was not good for the guests from Civitanova, who were trailing throughout. Lube made too many serving errors, which facilitated the hosts. Milano dictated the tempo and closed the set 25:17 after 26 minutes of play.

Second Set

The second set will go down in history as one of the longest of the season. Allianz Milano again controlled the proceedings, but Alex Nikolov kept Lube in the match, accumulating point after point. At 17:14 for Milano, the Bulgarian international already had 12 points.

Ferre Reggers scored his 13th point at 19:16, reaching 1500 career points in Italy, followed by a direct showdown between the two main scorers. Nikolov saved the first set point and tied with a spectacular solo block specifically against Reggers, but ultimately, after a service out and an ace against Botolo, Milano closed the set 38:36 and took a 2:0 lead.

Third Set

The third set was complete domination by Lube. The guests started strong, built a significant lead early on, and easily closed the part 25:12, with the hosts bringing in their reserves before the end.

Fourth Set

Lube started better and led up to 9:9, but then the initiative shifted to the hosts. Milano strengthened their serve and stabilized their block, while Civitanova continued to make serving errors – the ratio was 15/24 in Milano's favor. Despite an attempt to come back to 23:20, the guests could not hold on at the end. A serving error by Botolo brought the first match point, and Di Martino ended the dispute.

Reggers – Nikolov Duel: Individual Victory for the Bulgarian

Alex Nikolov decisively won the individual duel, surpassing Reggers in points, aces, blocks, and plus/minus. With nearly identical attack efficiency, it was his additional points from serve and block that kept Lube in the match. Nevertheless, collective stability and fewer errors in crucial moments brought victory to Allianz Milan.