Civitanova.Cucine Lube Civitanova continues its impressive playoff march, after qualifying for the SuperLega final in Italy. In the packed “Eurosuole Forum” hall, Giampaolo Medei’s team defeated Rana Verona with a convincing 3:0 (25:23, 25:19, 25:20) in the fourth semi-final match, closing the series with 3:1 wins.
Thus, Civitanova repeats an achievement rarely seen in Italian volleyball – reaching the final from sixth place in the regular season. For the club, this is their second consecutive final, eighth in the last nine editions of the playoffs, and eleventh overall in history. In the battle for the title, they will face a well-known opponent – Perugia, with the series to be played best of three wins.

Match flow

The first set started difficult for the hosts, who trailed early after an aggressive serve from Verona. Gradually, Civitanova stabilized its reception and leveled the game. The exchange of points continued until the very end, with Loeppky's series and Aleksandar Nikolov's effective attacks proving decisive. Ultimately, the hosts edged out the set with 25:23.
In the second set, Civitanova exerted much more serious control. The block started working at a high level, and the serve seriously hampered Verona's game organization. The lead quickly grew, and the hosts confidently closed the part with 25:19.
The third set started with a bang for Civitanova, who took a big lead in the first few rallies. Botolo's block and the aggression from serve completely disrupted the opponent. Verona tried to come back at the end, but the distance was too great. Nikolov secured the final 25:20 and qualification for the final.

Individual highlights

Erik Loeppky was the top scorer and logically chosen as MVP with 15 points and impressive attack efficiency (80%), as well as a significant contribution from serve. Mattia Bottolo added 12 points, distinguishing himself with 5 points from block.
Aleksandar Nikolov also played a key role in the success, finishing with 13 points and a stable presence in all phases of the game. Nikolov's performance is characterized by a balance between attack and back row play. He scored 10 points in attack with good efficiency, added a direct point from serve and 2 from block. His overall contribution is crucial for Civitanova's stability in decisive moments.
For the visiting team from Verona, only Keita reached a double-digit score – 15 points.
Special mention also goes to Marko Podrascanin, who, in addition to qualifying for another final, reached 4703 career points and moved into sixth place in the all-time ranking of middle blockers in the SuperLega.
After the match, Nikolov was also congratulated by the Bulgarian behind the Verona project, Dimitar Rachev.

photos: Nikolay Varadinov