In the fourth match of the quarterfinals of the Italian Men's Volleyball League playoffs, Milan, where Yuki Ishikawa plays, faced Piacenza on Sunday, March 24th (local time) and won 3-2 (28-30, 25-27, 25-23, 27-25, 15-6).
Yuki Ishikawa started the game and scored 20 points.
First set starting lineup
Milan
OH: Kaziyski (Bulgaria), Ishikawa
MB: Vitelli (Italy), Rosell (Argentina)
OP: Regels (Belgium)
S: Porro (Italy)
L: Catania (Italy)
Piacenza
OH: Lucarelli (Brazil), Real (Brazil)
MB: Simon (Cuba), Caneschi (Italy)
OP: Romano (Italy)
S: Brisard (France)
L: Scanfera (Italy)
*Positions: OH = outside hitter, MB = middle blocker, OP = opposite, S = setter, L = libero
MVP: OH Osniel Melgarejo
12 points (2 serves, 2 blocks)
Attack effectiveness rate 42.87%
OH Ishikawa Yuki
20 points (2 on serve)
Attack Effectiveness Rate 30.71%
Milan now has two wins and two losses in the quarterfinals, and a win in their next match will secure a place in the semifinals.
The fifth match of the playoff quarter-finals will be held at Piacenza home grounds at 28:30 on Wednesday, March 27th (Japan time).
Italian League Website: https://www.legavolley.it/
Distribution (VBTV, paid): https://www.volleyballworld.tv/home
Toshiki's comment
I watched this match live.
Milan was in a desperate situation as a loss in this fourth playoff match would mean elimination from the quarterfinals.
The venue was packed, even the second floor seats, which had been sparsely filled when I visited during the regular season, and the atmosphere was filled with excitement from both Milano and Piacenza supporters even before the match began.
The match was fiercely competitive from the first set.
Milano scored points mainly through OH Ishikawa and OP Regels, while Piacenza scored points mainly through OP Romano.
It's really great to have Regels on the team. And from the press box, Ishikawa looked like he was playing with even more energy.
Milan was able to attack more with their serves, but even when their serve reception was disrupted, Piacenza was able to score high balls with great precision.
It was a game of trading side outs and breaks, and just when it seemed like the score gap was widening, they would turn it around again, so I couldn't take my eyes off it.
Milan took the first set point at 24-23 with a service ace from MB Vitelli, but then OH Real's spikes gave Piacenza the lead at 25-26.
In the end, OH Kaziyski's spike missed and the first set went to Piacenza with a score of 28-30.
In the second set, Milan took a 6-2 lead with a service ace from OH Kaziyski in the early stages, and although Piacenza continued to close the gap, they maintained a 20-17 lead until the end.
In this set too, Ishikawa's spirited spikes were excellent.
However, OP Romano's spikes and service aces from the serve led to four consecutive breaks, and Piacenza quickly turned the game around to 20-22.
It seemed like Romano was really in the zone that day.
However, OH Ishikawa also scored an ace and made two consecutive breaks to turn the game around again at 23-22. The two former teammates collided in a heated battle.
Milano then got the set point first, 24-23, but after the score went to deuce, relief server OP Gironi hit an ace to give Piacenza the lead, 24-25.
Finally, with a block from MB Simon, Piacenza took the set 25-27.
In the first and second sets, Milan got the set point first, then they were overtaken, which was a very unpleasant flow, and the atmosphere was completely in Piacenza's favor. To be honest, I thought Piacenza would win in straight sets.
In the third set, Milan started off with aces from MB Rosell and OP Regels to put them in a big lead at 9-4, but then Piacenza made consecutive blocks on OH Real's serves.
OP Regels and OH Ishikawa each got shut out twice in a row, and S Porro missed a direct spike, giving Piacenza a 9-10 lead. It felt like the atmosphere around the venue was like, "After all, Milan is tough."
But the players didn't give up.
In the final minutes, MB Rosell scored with a spike and a block, giving Milan a 20-19 lead. Ishikawa's powerful serve was followed by a spirited back attack, and then OH Melgarejo, who replaced OH Kaziyski, scored a difficult high ball to give Milan a 24-22 set point.
From there, OH Ishikawa missed a pipe attack, making the score 24-23, but Ishikawa made sure to score on the next ball, giving Milano the third set with a score of 25-23.
After scoring the set point, it was impressive to see Ishikawa encouraging not only his teammates but also the crowd. The crowd responded with loud cheers.
Continuing their momentum, Milan was in control from the start of the fourth set.
With consecutive blocks from OP Regels and consecutive service aces from MB Rosell, they took a 9-5 lead.
Milan continued to score side outs with OH Ishikawa and OH Melgarejo and maintained the lead until the end, 20-17.
After that, MB Vitelli's spike put Milano comfortably in set point at 24-21, but from there OH Lucarelli's spike and a service ace gave Piacenza two consecutive breaks to tie the score at 24-24.
At this point, the first and second sets were reminiscent of the previous set, but in the end, OH Ishikawa made it 27-25 with a service ace, preventing Piacenza from making a comeback. Amazing.
Milan's serves and blocks exploded from the beginning of the fifth set.
Milan broke down OH Real, who had difficulty receiving serves, with their serves, and with blocks from OP Regels and MB Rosell, they took the lead 5-2. Furthermore, with consecutive service aces from relief servers OH Kaziyski and OH Melgarejo, Milan took the lead 10-4, while Piacenza was helpless.
After that, with an attack from OH Ishikawa and a service ace from MB Vitelli, they quickly gained match point at 14-5, and finally S Porro handed the ball to OP Regels, who scored to make it 15-6.
It was a huge come-from-behind victory for Milan!!!
To be honest, Piacenza was really in control until the beginning of the third set, with Romano in top form and Milan struggling to score points even when they were able to break down Real's serves.
However, he refused to give up until the end and continued to serve aggressively, which ultimately led to him seizing the opportunity to win.
OH Melgarejo, who replaced OH Kaziyski, who did not contribute much in either offense or defense in the early stages of the game, first changed the flow of the game with his excellent performance on both offense and defense, and libero Catania and setter Porro supported the team with dedicated plays that are hard to show in numbers.
In the second half, there were some big plays that helped turn the tide, such as a quick shot to Ishikawa from under in the fourth set.
As Ishikawa said in the post-match interview, I really think it was a victory that Milan fought and seized together.
Still, the one who received the most cheers was our very own Ishikawa Yuki.
On this day, fans from Japan and other Asian countries, where there are many enthusiastic people, were not so noticeable, and I think the majority of the fans were local Italian, but Ishikawa's plays still drew loud cheers and attracted many people.
It was a match that really made me realize that he is a superstar not only in Japan and Asia, but in both name and reality, but all over the world.
Now, there are two days left until the fifth quarterfinal.
Will they make it to the top four for the second year in a row?
I just believe in them.
Photo: Legavolleyball, Author's photo
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