In the first leg of the European Volleyball Confederation CEV Cup semi-finals, Chieri (Italy), coached by Hayashi Kento, played against Paris (France) on Wednesday, February 21st local time, and won 3-2 (20-25, 25-17, 23-25, 25-15, 15-13).
First set starting lineup
Kieri
OH: Skinner (USA), Omoruyi (Italy)
MB: Gray (Italy), Weitzel (Germany)
OP: Globerna (Belgium)
S: Marinov (Italy)
L: Spirito (Italy)
Paris
OH: Palgutova (Slovakia), Kecman (Serbia)
MB: Sater (USA), Herrera (Argentina)
OP: Cunho (Argentina)
S: Alanko (Finland)
L: Gelin (France)
*Positions: OH = outside hitter, MB = middle blocker, OP = opposite, S = setter, L = libero
MVP: S Rachele Morello (Italy) 2 points
The second leg of the semi-final will be played away in Paris at 28:00 Japan time on Wednesday 28th February.
The next Italian league match will be against Trentino on Sunday, February 25th at 25:00 Japan time.
Comments from Coach Kento Hayashi
We were fully prepared to face the team currently leading the French league. We knew they were a team with solid defense and tactics that made use of data, so we felt their tendencies were similar to Chieri's. We went into the match hoping to surpass them in every aspect.
As was the case in the Coppa Italia semi-final, the quality of our setup was low, and our attackers were unable to hit the ball satisfactorily for a long period of time, which was a major factor in our struggles. Following on from the match against Bergamo, Morello, who came on as a substitute, set up an indirect delivery with height and options, which allowed our attackers to start hitting the ball well and we were able to win in the final stages.
This was also a home game, so many fans came to the game. Next up is an away game in Paris, a city in France that is preparing for the Olympics. We will do our best to enjoy the cityscape and play a great game.
Photo: Vittorio Avondo
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