In the third match of the Italian Men's Volleyball League playoff final, Monza, the team Takahashi Ai plays for, faced Perugia on Thursday, April 25th local time and lost 1-3 (15-25, 18-25, 26-24, 19-25).
Takahashi Ai started in the game and scored 14 points.
First set starting lineup
Monza
OH: Ma (Canada), Takahashi
MB: Galassi (Italy), Di Martino (Italy)
OP: Lepki (Canada)
S: Cachopa (Brazil)
L: Gazzini (Italy)
Perugia
OH: Semeniuk (Poland), Plotnicki (Ukraine)
MB: Flavio (Brazil), Russo (Italy)
OP: Bentara (Tunisia)
S: Giannelli (Italy)
L: Coraci (Italy)
*Positions: OH = outside hitter, MB = middle blocker, OP = opposite, S = setter, L = libero
MVP: OP Wasim Bentala
20 points (4 in blocks)
Attack effectiveness rate 41.94%
OH Ai Takahashi
14 points (2 serves, 1 block)
Attack effectiveness rate: 33.33%
As a result, Monza now has a total of 1 win and 2 losses in the finals (3 wins out of 5).
The fourth game of the playoff final will be played at Monza home ground on Sunday, April 28th at 1:00am Japan time.
Italian League Website: https://www.legavolley.it/
Distribution (VBTV, paid): https://www.volleyballworld.tv/home
Toshiki's comment
As I arrived at the venue late, I was only able to watch the match from the middle of the first set.
It was a match in which Monza was overwhelmed by Perugia's serves.
In particular, in the first set, Perugia hit five aces on their serves alone, and they lost by a large margin of 15-25.
After that, except for the third set, where we managed to hold out, we struggled with Perugia's serve and the blocks that came with it.
In particular, Maher, who was the target of the serve, did not receive the serve reliably, conceding four points, which gave many of his opponents the opportunity to break through.
Also, perhaps due to an unstable defense, there were noticeable losses in attacks due to blocks, in stark contrast to the second game in which they earned the most points and MVP.
On the other hand, Takahashi, who plays opposite him, was as stable as ever, maintaining his high defensive ability and attack success rate. I think the reason he was able to win the third set after a close match was because he was able to score points with his pipe attacks and other techniques. He was also not affected by the powerful jump serve of his opponent Leon.
However, on this day, Perugia's side attackers, including opposite Ventala, outside hitters Semeniuk and Plotnicki, and Leon, who came on to the court later in the game, all boasted high success rates, and Takahashi alone was powerless to overcome the odds.
I once again felt that Monza is a team that depends on Marr, for better or worse.
How can he limit direct losses in serve reception? Even if it's not an A pass or B pass, if he can connect it to an attack, I think Monza has the power to create an advantageous situation from the rally and score.
Monza advanced to both the quarter-finals and semi-finals of the playoffs after five races.
In particular, the semi-final against Trentino was a major comeback victory, with three consecutive wins after two straight losses.
It's too early to give up.
They will win at home on Sunday and then return to Perugia next week.
Photo: Legavolleyball.it, author
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