The quarterfinals of the Coppa Italia were held in the Italian men's volleyball league Serie A, and on Thursday, December 29th (local time), Ishikawa Yuki's Milan team, who finished the first half of the league in 7th place, played away against Roubaix Civitanova (hereinafter Roubaix), who were in 2nd place, and won 3-1 (18-25, 25-21, 25-18, 25-21).
After the match, Milan manager Roberto Piazza gave us his comments.
-How do you feel looking back on today's game?
Piazza: I think we played great from the second set onwards. We started a little slow in the first set, but after that we played well every time. It was a tough match. We knew Civitanova was a good team, but we also knew we could do something special, and we did.
-What on earth caused such a difference between the first set and the second set onwards?
Piazza: I don't know, because that's what happened with the players. Maybe it was because they felt they could restart without pressure. That made a big difference.
-Did anyone say anything to the players between the first and second sets?
Piazza: I just told the players to keep in mind the situations we discussed in the meeting. That's it.
- Why did you choose Melgarejo as a starter instead of Ebadipour today?
Piazza: It's a feeling. That's why I chose Merga today instead of Ebadipoour. Merga played well. We also started Vitelli, one of the best middle blockers in the league, but today we needed our captain (Piano). He played well, too, except in the fourth set. But it's okay. You can't be perfect all the time.
--You'll face Trent in the semi-finals next...
Piazza: We'll know about the next match when it comes. Let's wait and see.
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