The Italian men's volleyball league Serie A is in the 7th round. Vibo Valentia, which Japanese representative opposite Nishida Yuto belongs to, played against last season's champions Rube Civitanova at home, and lost 3-0 in straight sets, showing the difference in strength between them. Nishida also injured his left leg early in the second set and had to leave the game.
Results
Vibo Valentia vs Ravenna 0-3 (17-25, 19-25, 16-25)
Right from the start, the opposing setter, De Cecco (Argentina), scored the opening goal, showing that the champion Civitanova was the strongest player in the match. The flow of the match did not change after that.
Vibo Valentia, including Nishida, had a hard time getting their attacks through, while Civitanova built their attacks around mid-range shots and took control of the game. Simon (Cuba) in particular was very powerful, and his quick shots were almost always successful (when I checked the day, all of them were successful, 100% success rate lol). The hotline between Dececco and Simon from their days at Piacenza is so stable that it can only be described as expected. They can get to B quick shots from any position. They are fast and high. There is no middle shot and setter that is more annoying for opponents. Simon also had a good serve on this day. Although he didn't have many direct service aces, he effectively broke down his opponents and took consecutive breaks.
Nishida, on the other hand, struggled with his serves on the day. He also made a relatively large number of mistakes and was blocked. Nevertheless, he managed to score an important high set at the end of the first set, and just as he was trying to turn the tide at the beginning of the second set, he complained of pain after landing from a spike and was replaced. He was holding his left calf, so perhaps he cramped up. Anyway, we can only hope that it is not serious.
With Nishida gone, the offensive power of Vibo's court was further weakened. Nevertheless, in the second set, Douglas (Brazil) showed great fighting spirit, scoring one after another, and the match progressed with Vibo taking a slight lead. In the middle of the match, it seemed like a battle of shots between Douglas and Simon. However, in the middle of the match, Douglas was caught by Anzani's block, and he lost momentum and lost the second set. In the following third set, Mauricio (Brazil)'s attacks were not going through well, and without being able to rotate, he was left with a large lead of 2-11 in the early stages. In the middle of the third set, Basic (France), who is normally the OH, was brought back to the court in place of the reserve opposite Baasi (Italy), but he continued to rely on Douglas. After that, he managed to get side outs, but he was unable to make consecutive breaks and the match went into the final stages. Saitta got an ace at 14-22, but it was too late. In the end, MB Diamantini (Italy) shut down MB Flavio (Brazil)'s quick move, and Civitanova, who made his 11th block of the day, won in straight sets against Vibo. Despite the absence of OH Juantorena (Italy), he showed the power of the champion.
Nishida's mid-game departure was a real blow to Vibo. As expected, the difference in ability between him and the reserve opposite was clear, and even with Basic in the opposite position, the burden on both OHs was not reduced much. Also, Mauricio's offensive slump has not yet improved, so I would like to use Basic as an OH. Douglas' burden was too great that day. Personally, I wanted to see Nishida hang on to Roubaix more and get an ace. He was off the bench from the third set, but I really hope he doesn't get a serious injury. I hope to see him in good health again in the next round. I'll be waiting.
The next match is against Verona away at 20:30 on Wednesday the 24th. We absolutely have to win here. Good luck, Vibo Valentia. Good luck, Nishida Yuji.
Photo: Lega Pallavolo Serie A
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