Aleksandar Nikolov and Cucine Lube (Civitanova) finished the season with silver medals in the Italian SuperLega, after losing the final series against Sir Susa Vim Perugia 0-3. In the third playoff match, Giampaolo Medei's players fought until the end but lost as visitors 1:3 (27:25, 24:26, 22:25, 20:25) in front of a packed Pala Barton Energy.
Thus, Perugia deservedly reached their third Scudetto in club history after an almost perfect season. Angelo Lorenzetti's team went through the playoffs without a single loss – 9 wins from 9 matches, and after the last point, the arena erupted in celebrations for Italy's new champions.
For Lube, the defeat brought a second consecutive silver and a third lost final in the last four seasons. Nevertheless, the team from Civitanova made an impressive run to the title battle, having started the playoffs from only sixth place in the regular season.
Aleksandar Nikolov was once again above all for his team and finished the match with 25 points, 56% attack efficiency, and 44% positive reception.
Mattia Bottolo added 16 points, and Erik Loeppky scored another 15. For Perugia, Wassim Ben Tara was the top scorer with 18 points, while Oleh Plotnytskyi and Kamil Semeniuk finished with 14 and 13 respectively.
A special moment marked the end of the match for legendary libero Massimo Colaci. The 41-year-old veteran played the last match of his career and was chosen as the MVP of the final series, thus bringing an emotional end to his competitive journey.
The first set started completely evenly, with both teams going point for point until the middle of the set. Perugia gradually took control and, after a series of strong attacks by Ben Tara and Plotnytskyi, built a 17:12 lead. Just when it seemed the hosts would calmly close the set, Lube responded with a killer serve. Bottolo and Boninfante recorded several aces, tied the score at 22:22, and brought tension back into the arena. In the dramatic finish, Aleksandar Nikolov took responsibility in the key rallies and secured Civitanova's victory with 27:25.
In the second set, Lube carried the momentum from their comeback and started playing with immense confidence. Nikolov and Loeppky were almost flawless in attack, and Boninfante set excellently to all his attackers. The visitors led 19:14 and seemed close to leveling the series, at least within the match. However, Perugia demonstrated championship character. The serves of Zavorotny and Ben Tara disrupted Lube's reception, and the hosts saved three set points. At 24:24, Ben Tara scored an ace, and Semeniuk ended the set 26:24, which also psychologically turned the match.
The third set began with another strong period for Lube. Aleksandar Nikolov once again led his team, and the visitors pulled ahead 6:4 after several powerful attacks from Zone 4. Perugia, however, reacted quickly, and through a series of serves by Ben Tara, turned the score around to 16:12. An additional blow for Civitanova was Boninfante's calf problem, which forced him to leave the court. Towards the end, Podraščanin and Orduna brought back intrigue and narrowed the gap to two points, but the hosts this time did not allow another comeback and closed the set at 25:22.
In the fourth set, Perugia already sensed the title and started aggressively from the first rallies. Giannelli organized his team's play excellently, while Ben Tara and Russo increased the lead to 16:10. Lube gradually began to lose energy, even though Aleksandar Nikolov continued to fight for every ball and remained the last one upholding the visitors' hopes. The atmosphere in Pala Barton Energy grew louder with each point, and Perugia confidently reached 25:20 after a Boninfante serve went out, which ended the final and brought the Scudetto to the hosts.
| Team | Sets | Attack | Block | Ace |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Perugia | 3 | 53% | 6 | 9 |
| Lube Civitanova | 1 | 49% | 5 | 8 |
Perugia was the more stable team in crucial moments, especially from the service line and in the concluding parts of the second and third sets. Lube showed character and held the initiative for a long time, but the champions' longer rotation and greater confidence tipped the scales.
The statistics once again highlighted Aleksandar Nikolov's huge role in Lube's game. The Bulgarian national player was the most consistent and dangerous attacker on the court, but Perugia had more offensive solutions and better balance in all elements, which logically brought the title to the team from Umbria.
photos:legavolley.it
