Cucine Lube Civitanova qualified for the final of the Jesi Volley Cup after a comeback against Suntory Sunbirds Osaka. The Italian team won 3:1 (22:25, 25:18, 25:22, 25:20) in the “PalaTricoli“ hall in Jesi, and the Bulgarian national Alex Nikolov was the most productive with 21 points.
Lube lost the first game, but then took control of the match. The main difference came from the blockade, where Giampaolo Medei's team realized 14 point blocks against only 3 for the Japanese team. The Italians also had an advantage in direct service points – 5 vs. 2.
Alex Nikolov leads Lube to a turnaround
Alex Nikolov finished the match with a 59% success rate in attack, four blocks and one assist. Simeon Nikolov added 6 points, Davide Gardini finished with 9, and Mattia Bottolo scored 7.
Suntory started more confidently and won the first set with 25:22. In the second game, Lube led with 5:3 after a serve from Alex Nikolov, and the Nikolovi brothers helped increase the lead to 9:6. After the equalizer at 12:12, the Italian team imposed higher efficiency in attack and closed the set with 25:18.
The third game was the most contested. Lube led 13:8, but Suntory came back at 18:17 after a series of serves by Wassim Ben Tara. The block returned the initiative to the Italians again, and an ace by Antonin Klimesh made the score 24:21. Alex Nikolov ended the game with a block for 25:22.
In the fourth set, Lube quickly built a 9:6 lead. After two consecutive blocks and strong play at the net, the Italian team reached 16:10, and Alex Nikolov recorded an ace for 17:10. Suntory reduced the gap to 20:16, but was unable to bring the match to a decisive game. A service error by Chitigoy ended the match at 25:20.
Allianz Milano awaits in the final
In the other semifinal, Allianz Milano defeated Olympiacos Piraeus 3:1. Thus, the final of the tournament will be entirely Italian. The Milan team includes former Lube volleyball players Santi Orduna and Davi Tenorio, as well as Filippo Bartolucci, who went through the team's school from Civitanova. The match between Lube and Suntory lasted 1 hour and 54 minutes and was watched by 1,500 spectators.
Before the semifinal, Lube's central blocker Antonin Klimesh described the match as his first clash with a Japanese opponent: “I haven't played against a Japanese team, I think this is a really interesting match. I can't wait.“
Sources: sportal.bg, volleyball.it, marchesport.info