Monza took a decisive step towards the playoffs after cleanly defeating their direct competitor for eighth place, Padova, with a 3:0 victory (25:16, 25:22, 25:16).
The hosts showed stability in all elements and left no doubt as to who controlled the match. Bulgarian international Martin Atanasov played an exceptionally strong match, finishing with 12 points, +7 efficiency, 2 blocks, and 1 ace, and needs only 10 more points to reach the 200-point mark since playing in Italy.
For the winners, the most effective player was opposite hitter Fracchio, who replaced Padar and finished with an impressive 19 points, becoming Monza's main scorer.
The good news for Bulgarian volleyball is the return of another national player – Padova's middle blocker Boris Nachev, who played a full match and finished with 3 points.
With this success – their seventh of the season – Monza now has 22 points, while Padova remains with 15. With only two rounds remaining, the visitors no longer have a realistic chance to overtake Monza in the battle for eighth place, even if Monza loses both matches and Padova secures a full six points. However, there is still a theoretical chance for Cuneo to do so if they defeat Cisterna tomorrow, which would bring them within five points of Monza.
Photos: Nikolay Varadinov and legavolley.it
