Sir Susa Vim Perugia took a decisive step towards the championship title in the Italian SuperLega, after winning as a guest against Cucine Lube Civitanova with a comeback of 3:1 (22:25, 25:22, 25:22, 25:22) and taking a 2:0 lead in the final series. Angelo Lorenzetti's team is now just one victory away from the gold, and can close out the series on May 6th in front of their home crowd at "Pala Barton". The success came in front of 4198 spectators in the packed "Eurosuole Forum" hall, with Perugia solidifying the impression that they fully control the series after their clean victory in the first match.
The match started excellently for the hosts from Lube. After an even start up to 9:10, Aleksandar Nikolov gave momentum with a successful attack and a subsequent ace for 11:10. In the crucial moments, Mattia Bottolo was above all, finishing the set with 8 points and securing Civitanova's advantage – 1:0. Marko Podraščanin also played a strong role in this period with 3 blocks, which further complicated the guests' attack.
The second set again started dictated by Lube. Two three-point runs gave them a 9:5 lead, and at 18:14 after Nikolov's seventh point, the hosts seemed close to doubling their score. However, a collapse followed – Perugia turned the game around with a powerful run, in which Ben Tara was a key factor, while an ace by Oleh Plotnytskyi and a block against Nikolov made it 19:22. The guests closed the set without problems and equalized, with Plotnytskyi scoring the decisive point on a back-row attack.
The third set unfolded in a similar scenario. Lube led early on, but Perugia gradually leveled the game, reaching a tie at 20:20. In the decisive rallies, an ace by Agustin Loser tipped the scales, and an attack error by Bottolo gave the guests a chance to take a 2:1 lead. During this period, the hosts tried to vary their game by bringing in Wout D'Heer, who contributed valuable points, but it wasn't enough.
In the fourth set, the tie persisted until 14:14, after which Perugia took control and maintained a 2-3 point lead. Lube equalized at 22:22 after an attack by Bottolo, but Ben Tara once again put the guests ahead, and a key combination between Simone Giannelli and Roberto Russo preserved the lead. In the concluding rallies, Loser and Plotnytskyi settled the dispute.
The match lasted 129 minutes, which underlines the evenly contested nature of the individual sets.
Individual statistics
Erik Loeppky and Aleksandar Nikolov finished with 14 points each. The Bulgarian international made 11 attacks, adding 1 ace and 2 blocks; his 34% attack efficiency indicates problems in finishing rallies in which Nikolov participated. Mattia Bottolo was the top scorer for the hosts with 16 points, but his efforts were not enough.
For Perugia, the trio that carried the team throughout the season once again stood out – Wassim Ben Tara finished with 23 points and was named the most valuable player of the match, achieving an impressive 56% attack efficiency. Oleh Plotnytskyi added 18, and Kamil Semeniuk contributed 13. Their effectiveness in crucial moments made the difference and once again showed the class of the main weapon of the European champions.
Team statistics:
| Metric | Lube | Perugia |
|---|---|---|
| Blocks | 19 | 9 |
| Attack (%) | 47% | 48% |
| Attack points | 48 | 56 |
| Positive reception | 58% | 39% |
| Aces | 4 | 4 |
| Service errors | 18 | 21 |
| Points from opponent's errors | 27 | 26 |
| Total points | 92 | 96 |
Although Lube had a serious advantage in blocks (19:9) and better reception (58% vs. 39%), Perugia compensated with a more effective attack in terms of volume (56 points vs. 48). It was the better realization in attack and the stability in block/defense in decisive moments that tipped the match in favor of the visitors. A key factor was the work of setter Simone Giannelli. Despite the more shaky reception, he managed to organize the attack excellently and distribute the play to the main trio Ben Tara – Plotnytskyi – Semeniuk, a specific example of which was the combination with Russo in the fourth set, which brought a key point at a crucial moment.
Perugia is just one win away from the title and will have the opportunity to win it in front of their home crowd, and with a win, they will reach their third championship title. Lube showed that they can dominate in individual elements, but the lack of consistency in key moments has so far proven decisive in the final series. The next match is on May 6 in Perugia.
