In the fifth match of the second half of the Italian men's volleyball league Serie A, 11th-placed Padova, where Takahashi Ai plays, played against 10th-placed Taranto at home on Sunday, January 22nd local time, and won 3-0 (25-21, 25-21, 25-20).
Japan's Takahashi Ai started the match and was named the match's MVP after scoring the most points on the team with 18 points (5 of which were serves).
First set starting lineup
Padua
OH: Takahashi, Asparuhov (Bulgaria)
MB: Volpato (Italy), Crosato (Italy)
OP: Petkovic (Serbia)
S: Saitta (Italy)
L: Zenger (Germany)
Taranto
OH: Antonov (Italy), Lepke (Canada)
MB: Aletti (Italy), La Rizza (Italy)
OP: Ekstrand (Sweden)
S: Falaschi (Italy)
L: Rizzo (Italy)
*Positions: OH = outside hitter, MB = middle blocker, OP = opposite, S = setter, L = libero
The stats for this match areHere
Match Report
In the first set, OH Takahashi started off by hitting two consecutive aces with well-aimed serves between the opponent's OH, exciting the crowd and giving Padua a 2-0 lead.
However, when OH Takahashi's spike was caught by MB Laritza's block to make the score 3-3, Padua's OH Takahashi and OH Asparuhov, and Taranto's OH Repki, continued to score side outs, and the game became a close one with the score at 12-12.
After that, OH Takahashi scored a transition attack from OP Petkovic's serve to put them two points ahead at 14-12, and Patova maintained that lead going into the final stages with a score of 20-18.
OH Takahashi scored another spike from a good serve by relief server OH Gardini, and then with a tip (feint) from OH Takahashi in the low-tension position afterwards, Padua took a break to make it 23-19. Finally, Taranto's S Falaschi made a serve error, and Padua took the set 25-21.
In the second set, MB Laritza started off by scoring an ace from OH Asparuhov, but then OH Asparuhov scored points with his own spikes, giving Padova a 5-2 lead.
Taranto's OH Lepke scored points with attacks and serves but made many mistakes, while Padua's S Saitta scattered the tosses and scored attacks to maintain a 15-12 lead.
Padova made a series of errors from S. Falaschi's serve, giving Taranto a temporary lead of 15-16, but immediately afterwards OH Takahashi's serve struck OH Antonov sharply several times, and with five consecutive breaks including three service aces, Padova pulled away from Taranto with a 22-17 lead.
After that, relief server OH Gardini's service ace gave Padua a set point at 24-18, and although OH Asparuhov was caught by the opponent's block twice in a row, he managed to finish it off and Padua took the set 25-21.
In the third set, Taranto, with no other options, took an early lead of 3-6 thanks to attacks and blocks from OH Lepki and mistakes from OP Petkovic.
Padua brought on OP Guzzo to replace OP Petkovic.
After that, Padua tied the score at 9-9 with an attack from OP Guzzo himself on his serve.
From there, the game saw an exchange of side-outs with both sides mixing in mid-range shots, and OH Asparuhov scored a break with a short serve, and MB Aletti blocked OH Takahashi, so the score remained at 17-17.
However, MB Crossart blocked OH Lepky, exciting the crowd, and MB Volpato also blocked OH Lepky's pipe, giving Padua a three-point lead at 22-19.
Then OH Takahashi made it 23-20 with a sharp pipe attack, and OP Guzzo followed with a spike to put them on match point. Finally, after a fake set by OH Takahashi, OP Guzzo scored a spectacular spike to win the set 25-20, and Padova won the set 3-0 against Taranto.
MVP: OH Takahashi Ai (18 points (5 serves), attack success rate 59%, serve reception success rate 56%)
This is Takahashi's third MVP award of the season, following his win against Civitanova last year.
With this result, Padua's overall record is 6 wins, 10 losses and 14 points, moving them up to provisional 10th place.
The team's next match will be against Siena, who are in 12th place, away from home on Sunday, January 29th at 15:30 local time (23:30 Japan time).
The report for the first half is here:
Comment from Ai Takahashi
Today's match started with my serve, and I'm glad that I was able to be in good condition right from the very first serve. We started well as a team, and I was able to play with momentum from the start of the match. I think it contributed to the team's victory, and it was a catalyst for creating rhythm, so it gave me a lot of confidence. Anyway, I think Padova's good points were well displayed in today's match, and everyone was focused.
We feel like we're in great condition after today's win, so we'll keep that spirit and head to the next match in Siena, where we'll be starting from scratch again, and although it'll be an away game, I want to create a great atmosphere as if it were our home ground.
Photo: PallavoloPadova
*Unauthorized reproduction or copying of articles and photos is prohibited.
Takahashi's full comments can be found here:
English 
Japanese