Vero Volley Monza started their participation in the Playoff Challenge of the Italian Superlega in excellent fashion. In front of 2286 spectators, Massimo Eccheli's team defeated Soniphar Padua 3:0 (25:22, 25:19, 25:21) in the first match of the quarterfinal series, which is played to two wins.
The hosts controlled the development of the match for most of the time, but the most serious challenge came in the third set. Padua was leading up to the 18th point, but Monza responded with a run and achieved a complete comeback to close out the match without giving a set to their opponent.
National player Zhasmin Velichkov had a strong performance, finishing with 14 points, +9, 2 aces, 2 blocks, 63% positive reception, and 56% in attack. With these stats, he is now just three blocks away from the 25-block mark for the season – a significant indicator of his effectiveness at the net.

The top scorer for Monza was German national player Eric Roehr with 17 points, while Diego Fracchio added 9 points and was also used in reception, despite being an opposite hitter – part of a tactical scheme with four receivers.
For Padua, the top scorers were Stefani with 12 points and Orioli with 11 points. The Bulgarian player Boris Nachev did not appear in the game, with the likely reason being his decision not to continue with the team next season.
The second match of the series is on April 8th in Padua at 8:30 PM, where Monza will have the opportunity to close out the quarterfinal in just two matches. If they win, Velichkov and company will face champions Trentino in the semi-finals.

photos: legavolley.it