Macerata achieved a valuable away victory over Emma Villas Siena with a score of 3:1 (22:25, 25:21, 25:21, 25:20) in the mid-week round of the Italian Serie A2. The success was particularly important in the battle for survival, and two Bulgarian national players – Rusi Zhelev and Denis Karyagin – played a key role.

Zhelev played a strong match in reception and attack. The Bulgarian receiver finished with 16 points and a +13 efficiency rating, scoring 1 ace and 1 block. In attack, he was extremely effective with a 54% success rate, and in reception, he recorded 32% positive reception, which brought stability to Macerata's game.

Denis Karyagin was also very useful, finishing the match with 18 points, +6. He scored 1 ace, attacked with 44% efficiency, and showed stability in reception with 53% positive reception. In key moments, his attacks helped the visitors maintain their lead in the third and fourth sets.

The most prolific scorer for Macerata was Novello with 21 points, and a strong blocking performance (13-point blocks for the team) also proved decisive for the turnaround after the first set. The victory brought the team 27 points in the standings and a crucial distance from the relegation zone.

Photos: legavolley.it