2021/22 season results
Coppa Italia Top 8
11th in the league
director
Jacopo Cuttini (Italy)
Registered players
Outside hitter
#1 Davide Gardini 1999 203 Italy
14 Ai Takahashi 2001 188 Japan
15 Matthijs De Smet 2000 198 Belgium
88 Asparukhov Asparukhov 2000 200 Bulgaria
Middle Blocker
#3 Andrea Canella 1998 200 Italy
#4 Riccardo Cencia 2001 198 Italy
10 Marco Volpato 1990 198 Italy
22 Federico Crosato 2002 200 Italy
Opposite
#9 Tommaso Guzzo 2002 197 Italy
12 Dusan Petkovic 1992 199 Serbia
Setter
#7 Francesco Zoppelari 1997 185 Italy
#8 Davide Saitta 1987 189 Italy
Libero
13 Julian Zenger 1997 190 Germany
18 Matteo Lelli 1995 181 Italy
Main starting lineup
OH: Takahashi, Asparuhov (Bulgaria)
MB: Volpato (Italy), Crosato (Italy)
OP: Petkovic (Serbia)
S: Saitta (Italy)
L: Zenger (Germany)
Meet our team
In the first half of last season, the team became a dark horse thanks to the performance of their young players, winning against higher-ranked opponents, but they lost momentum in the second half of the season. In the end, they finished the league in 11th place, narrowly avoiding relegation to the second division.
This season, the main members have changed completely from last season.
Although the team's reputation before the season began was not that good, they shocked the Italian volleyball world by defeating Modena and Roubaix, two strong teams known as the "BIG 4," in succession right at the start of the season.
At the center of the stage wasAi TakahashiLast season, he played mostly as a libero and was known for his outstanding defense, but this season he has been in the starting lineup as an outside hitter and has had a strong offensive presence, scoring a lot of points in the first two games of the season despite the high Italian league blocks, and contributing greatly to the team's victories. He was also selected as the MVP of both games.
In addition, the opposite forward will be in charge of the attack alongside Takahashi.Petkovic (Serbia)He has recently been playing in the Polish league, but is returning to Serie A after three seasons. He supports the team with his high ball decision-making ability in important situations. He is also a setter.Saitta (Italy)is a veteran who was a toss for Vibo Valentia, the team Nishida belonged to last season. Like Nishida, his combination with Takahashi is perfect.
The team as a whole has many young players and is not yet able to perform consistently, but they have already proven that they have the power to beat strong opponents, and other teams are wary of them. In particular, if the player opposite Takahashi becomes more stable, they will become an even more unstoppable team.
I hope they can keep going like this this season without losing momentum in the second half like last season.
Home Arena
Kioene Arena
Via San Marco, 5335129 - Padova (PD)
Photo: Lega Pallavolo Serie A, author's photo
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