On Thursday, November 7th local time, in the 10th round of the first half of the Italian Superlegga (preliminary match), Milan, represented by Tatsunori Otsuka, played against Cisterna, represented by Yume Tarumi, and Milan won 3-1 (29-27, 27-29, 25-17, 28-26).
All sets except the third were close matches, with both teams competing until the end. From the first set, Milan's Regers and Cisterna's Fall were trading points, with Regers scoring 33 points and Fall scoring 27 points, showing a high level of performance. Regers in particular made powerful attacks at key moments, contributing greatly to the team's victory. Veteran Kaziyski also achieved his 5,000th career point, proving his presence as the team's spiritual pillar.
Milan's Otsuka came on as a substitute for Ruati in the fourth set. He played a stable role in the defense of serve reception and digs, and contributed greatly to the team's comeback. He also had the opportunity to serve for the first time in the league and play in the front line for the first time, but was unable to score.
However, since returning from injury, I think it was good that he was able to continue playing in the forward position, even though he had only played in the back since then. Milan's other outside hitters have not yet been able to perform consistently, which is one of the reasons why the team has not been able to win so far. In fact, in this game, half of the attack points were scored by the opposite player, Legers. If Otsuka's playing time in the forward position increases from now on, he will surely score more points and become a catalyst for the team.
Meanwhile, Tarumi from Cisterna did not get a chance to play, and the two players faced off on the court was postponed until the second half of the league. In previous matches, he had the opportunity to substitute for Ramon in the backline, but in this match, reserve libero Finauli was registered as a regular player and replaced Ramon. Ramon did not have many offensive numbers in this match, so it is a shame that Tarumi was not used in such a situation. First of all, I hope he will win the manager's trust again on the defensive side and get a chance to play.
And in the second half, I'm looking forward to seeing the Rakunan showdown on the court at Cisterna's home field.
Even so, Milan's Regers is amazing. Last season he was the two main star with Ishikawa, but after Ishikawa left Milan, he has been scoring on his own. It's really amazing that he has been able to leave such numbers even though the opponent's marking is even harder than last season. He is beyond my imagination as a player. He is definitely more reliable than Patri (laughs). He is also trusted by setter Porro.
However, it will be tough for this situation to continue forever, so we can expect Otsuka to play an active role in the attack. Good luck, Otsuka. Mr. Piazza, let's play Otsuka rather than Gardini.
Milan
Starting line-up: S. Porro (5), OH Ruati (13), MB Schnitzer (1), OP Regers (33), OH Kaziyski (4), MB Kaneschi (6), L. Catania
Substitutes: OH Gardini (7), OP Barot (4), MB Laritza (4), S Zonta, OH Otsuka
Cisterna
Starting line-up: S. Baranovic (1), OH. Byram (15), MB. Nedeljkovic (11), OP. Fall (27), OH. Ramon (9), MB. Diamantini (6), L. Pace
Substitutes: S. Fanizza, L. Finouri, OH Rivas
MVP: OP Féle Regels
33 points (2 serves, 1 block), attack efficiency rate 48.151 TP 3T
OH Tatsunobu Otsuka
Substitute appearances: 0 goals
OH Tarumi Yume
Not participating
Detailed match stats here:
https://www.legavolley.it/match/38261
Next Round
November 9th (Sat) 26:00~ Milan vs Grottazzolina
Sunday, November 10th 26:00~ Modena vs Cisterna
Broadcast: VBTV, FOD (Perugia match only)
Photo: Powervolley Milano, legavolley.it
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