Restarting the engine a few days after the tie-breaker defeat in Lignano Sabbiadoro (which led to non-participation in the Italian Cup) is not easy. And it becomes even more difficult when you consider that you have to face one of the highest-rated teams in the championship, which is still undefeated (9 wins out of 9) and is in first place in its group. Against that Bartoccini Fortinfissi PerugiaIn the first return match of the regular season we must again start from the quality and character of the first two sets of the game against Talmassons, which, as coach Alessandro Beltrami emphasized in the post-match, are synonymous with growth and new consciousness. In the opening game of the 2023/2024 season, after a pre-season full of injuries and hurdles, the Lionesses managed to take a point from Giovi’s team (the game ended 3-2 for Perugia) and thus sent encouraging signs for the continuation of the championship. This time the athletes in the yellow and black jerseys are asked to ensure continuity and improve the positive factors that were seen on Wednesday evening in Lignano Sabbiadoro. kick-off, Sunday, November 26th at 5 p.m.
The lionesses
Coach Beltrami’s girls seem to have shifted gears after the defeat against Messina, at least in terms of character. Coach Alessandro Beltrami says it himself when he analyzes the home win against Bologna and the away game against Talmassons (which ended in a comeback defeat). The 16 points in the overall standings mean fifth place in Group A of Serie A2. Therefore, no Italian Cup: another opportunity to concentrate maximally on the championship and the next games of the regular season.
“A difficult game awaits us on Sunday, we play against a team that has never lost and is at the top of the tablea – comments the opposite Polina Malik – We give everything in training and on Wednesday we managed to show our game, especially in the first two sets. Our physical condition is improving and we have to keep it up. At Perugia we need the utmost concentration and the full support of our audience“.
The opponents
Perugia comes to Montichiari with full spoils: in fact no defeat for Giovi’s girls (out of 31 sets played, only 4 were conceded against their opponents, two of them against Valsabbina in the first game of the season) and first place with full spoils of points (25 points). However, setter Federica Braida wants to emphasize that these results are the result of constant work in the gym and that every challenge is new.
“I am very happy and satisfied with the work done and the results achieved – are the words of Federica Braida -. What is our secret? I would say a very closed group. There is no negative feeling among those who, like me, have played less. On the other hand. And when I’m called onto the field, I don’t feel anxious or rushed because I know that every teammate is ready to support everyone else. Obviously there is a lot of weekly work behind these victories. It must also be said that playing at Palabarton is difficult for all teams. At the beginning it was also for ourselves and the first two sets of the debut game against Brescia are proof of that. There is a risk that the tension will drop after so many victories, but the technical staff are doing everything they can to keep us grounded. The goal is to think game by game, and we can do that.”
The statistics
With a total of 746 points scored and 25 points collected (9 out of 9 games won), Bartoccini leads Group A of Serie A2. At the top of the internal ranking is Kosareva (115), followed by Montano (114) and Traballi (100). Perugia will therefore be a cumbersome guest to which Valsabbina will try to respond at home, taking advantage of the 135 points of its captain Pamio (135, Millenium’s top scorer), the 91 of Torcolacci and the 81 of Fiorio.
It will be a direct duel from 9 meters, especially between Kosareva and Malik: the player from Perugia is in second place in the entire A2 ranking (behind Bellia from Montecchio, who plays in the other group) with 15 winning serves; For Brescia’s opposing team, however, there were 11 aces.
If you compare the winning margins of the two teams, the gap becomes larger: 52 for Fortinfissi versus 41 for Leonesse. The trend is also similar in terms of the walls reached: 80 in Perugia and 70 in Brescia.
Curiosities, precedents and ex-partners
There are no exes for this meeting. There are 6 precedents and, of course, excluding the opening game of the 2023/2024 season, they go back to the A1 series (3 successes by Bartoccini-Fortinfissi, 2 successes by Valsabbina Millenium Brescia).
(Source: press release)
