Rana Verona started with a victory in the semifinal series against Civitanova, prevailing 3:0 (34:32, 25:21, 25:20) and taking a 1-0 lead. The first set proved crucial, lasting 40 minutes, in which Lube squandered a lead and collapsed in the decisive rallies.
The visitors from Civitanova led for most of the set, but at 32:32, Botolo missed a counter-attack, sending the ball out, which opened the way for Verona to win 34:32. In the remaining two sets, the initiative was entirely on the side of the visitors, who, however, failed to achieve a breakthrough in either of the sets.
Bulgarian national Alex Nikolov was the top scorer in the match with 20 points, +6 efficiency, 3 blocks, and 61% attack efficiency, but did not receive sufficient support. Only Botolo reached double digits for Lube with 10 points, while Leppky had 8.
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For the winners, the top scorer was Noumory Keita with 15 points, followed by Darlan Souza with 13 and Rok Možič with 11.
Team statistics:
| Category | Verona | Lube |
|---|---|---|
| Aces | 9 | 3 |
| Attack | 41 (62%) | 40 (58%) |
| Blocks | 5 | 8 |
| Positive Reception | 50% | 31% |
| Service Errors | 20 | 20 |
| Points from Opponent Errors | 28 | 23 |
The difference mainly came from serving and reception – Verona had a stronger serve (9 aces against 3) and maintained significantly more stable reception. Although Lube had more blocks, the team failed to capitalize in decisive moments.
The next match of the series is on April 8 in Civitanova, with Verona leading 1-0 in wins.
photos: legavolley.it
