On Saturday, October 12th local time, in the third round of the first half of the Italian Superlegga, Perugia, where Ishikawa Yuki plays, faced off against Modena, with Perugia winning 3-0 (25-23, 25-19, 25-21).
Perugia started with young player OH Cianciotta (Italy) in the starting lineup for the first time. Modena had some points from the beginning to the middle of the set, with OP Bukegel's (Australia) spikes and other points to take the lead. However, Perugia's OP Ventala (Tunisia/Poland) scored two service aces and four blocks, and the team's total of six service aces and nine blocks led them to a straight-set victory over Modena.
Yuki Ishikawa started on the bench for the first time in the third match, and his only appearance was at the end of the second set, when he replaced OP Ventara in the back. I think the intention was probably to strengthen the reception, but even from my point of view, it was a rare way to use him.
However, Perugia's coach Lorenzeti is also a coach who makes substitutions that are not usually used. In fact, in this game, not only did he do it with Ishikawa, but he also replaced the middle hitter after the serve with a receiver and the outside hitter in the back with a libero. Personally, I like this way of using players, which may seem unusual at first glance, and I learn from it.
Modena was once considered one of the BIG4, but has not made it to the top four in either the league or the Coppa Italia for the past two seasons. This season, they have added Dececco (Argentina), one of the world's No. 1 setters, and have a number of powerful spikers, including OP Buket and OH Gutierrez (Cuba).
In the early part of the match, their attackers were scoring at a good pace and it even looked like they might win against Perugia, but their performance dropped off towards the end of each set and they ended up not winning a single set.
On the other hand, Perugia was not only stable, but also managed to score at the crucial moments. This is the difference between winning and losing teams, and it was a game that made me realize once again that the players who can score in these situations are the best.
But I'd like to see a strong Modena again soon, so I hope the Modena players do their best. Gutierrez in particular is so fun to watch as he jumps so much, so I hope he can improve his reception and blocking.
Also, looking at the stats again, I laughed at the fact that S. Gianelli (Italy) scored 4 attack points. He scored more than OH Cianciotta, who was in the starting lineup.
Perugia
Starting line-up: MB Rosell (3), OP Ventara (13), OH Semeniuk (8), MB Russo (11), S Gianelli (7), OH Cianciota (3), L Corati
Substitutes: OH Plotnitsky (3), L Piccinelli, OH Ishikawa
Modena
Starting line-up: MB Sanguinetti (1), OP Buketger (13), OH Gutierrez (6), MB Anzani (1), S Dececco (1), OH Rinaldi (9), L Federici.
Substitutes: MB Matti (3), OH Dawskiba (2), OP Ikhbaili (1).
MVP: OP Wasim Bentala
13 points (2 on serves, 4 on blocks), attack effectiveness rate 22.22%
OH Ishikawa Yuki
Substitute 0 goals
Detailed match stats here:
https://www.legavolley.it/match/38218
Next match: Sunday, October 20th, 25:00 Japan time vs Cisterna
Broadcast: VBTV, FOD (Perugia match only)
Photo: legavolley.it, Sir Safety Perugia
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