Sir Safety Susa Vim Perugia started with a flying start in the final playoff for the title in Italy, after decisively defeating Cucine Lube Civitanova at home with a 3:0(25:21,25:17,25:22) victory.
The hosts set the pace from the first game and did not allow Lube to find stability neither in reception nor in attack. The aggressive serve, strong block, and diverse play of Simone Giannelli put the visitors' defense under constant pressure.
Perugia's setter made excellent use of the middle blockers, which opened up spaces for the trio Oleg Plotnytskyi – Wassim Ben Tara – Kamil Semeniuk. Ben Tara was the top scorer with 15 points, Plotnytskyi added 11, and Semeniuk finished with 7. Middle blockers Roberto Russo with 11 points and Sebastian Solé with 7 also made significant contributions.
The Tunisian was awarded at the beginning of the match as MVP of the semifinal series.
For Lube, the only player with a double-digit score was Aleksandar Nikolov, who registered 10 points, including 1 block, with 43% attack efficiency. However, the Bulgarian receiver finished with a negative balance of -2. Support mainly came from Mattia Bottolo, who added 8 points, but this was not enough against Perugia's much more cohesive squad.
Team Statistics:
| Indicator | Perugia | Lube |
|---|---|---|
| Blocks | 7 | 4 |
| Attack Efficiency | 77% | 46% |
| Points from Attack | 43 | 31 |
| Positive Reception | 47% | 40% |
| Aces | 5 | 3 |
| Service Errors | 15 | 15 |
| Points from Opponent's Errors | 20 | 22 |
| Total Points Scored | 75 | 60 |
The numbers clearly show Perugia's superiority, especially in attack – 77% against 46%, as well as 43 points from attack against 31 for Lube. With an equal number of service errors, the hosts compensated with higher efficiency, better blocking, and greater sharpness in crucial moments.
The second match of the final series is on May 3rd in Civitanova.
photos: legdvolley.it
