On Sunday, March 9th local time, the quarterfinals of the Italian Superlegga playoffs were held, and Milan, where Tatsunori Otsuka plays, played against Civitanova. Milan won 3-2 (27-29, 25-23, 18-25, 25-23, 17-15). The playoffs were played in a best-of-five format, with Milan now winning one match.
I watched this match on site. Civitanova is a city located on the Adriatic coast in central Italy, and it takes about four hours by express train from Milan. Naturally, the venue was completely transformed into a home stadium for Civitanova.
This season, Civitanova won the Coppa Italia and finished third in the regular season. They had also been undefeated in their home games so far this season, so the fans were naturally expecting the team to win. The Civitanova supporters, who were right behind the press box, were also excited before the game and were cheering loudly for the home team.
Otsuka's name was not in the starting lineup. Milan's usual OH diagonal was Kaziyski and Ruati.
Until the end of the first set, Civitanova was in the lead, living up to the expectations of the local fans.
In the early stages, Milano led 7-3 with OP Regels' service aces and attacks, but then OP Lagunzia's attacks and blocks tied the score at 16-16 for Civitanova. From there, they made it 17-20 with two consecutive blocks, and then MB Podrascanin made an attack and block on a serve by relief server OH Polija. Milano brought in OH Otsuka to tighten up their serve reception, but Civitanova was at set point at 18-24.
However, Milano started to catch up. After OH Polija's serve error, MB Kaneschi made a block to make it 20-24, and Milano made breaks one after another with MB Laritza's ace and OH Otsuka's spike. Civitanova used player substitutions and timeouts to try to get one more point, but OP Regels' spike made it 24-24, and Milano made six consecutive breaks to bring the game to deuce. However, OH Nikolov, who came in as a substitute, finally made an attack to break the flow, and finally OH Bottolo made two consecutive spikes to make it 27-29, and Civitanova managed to take the set.
In the second set, the score was tied at 6-6, but Milano broke four times in a row with spikes and blocks from OP Regels and MB Schnitzer on S. Pollo's serve, and took the lead at 11-6. Milano continued to side out with quick mid-range shots to make it 16-11, but OH Bottolo's efforts brought Civitanova to 20-18. During this time, OH Otsuka was brought back in. Milano had a set point at 24-20 with an ace from S. Pollo at the end, but Civitanova also had an ace from MB Gargiulo to bring the score to within one point at 24-23. However, MB Schnitzer scored a sharp quick shot to win the set at 25-23.
In the third set, OH Otsuka played from the start. He hit a difficult high ball with a soft hit, and Milano took the lead 4-1 (and Otsuka had a smug look on his face). After that, OH Otsuka continued to spike from a high hitting point with a high success rate, but OH Nikolov continued to spike from MB Gargiulo's serve, and Civitanova turned the game around to 8-9. Furthermore, MB Gargiulo's block and OH Bottolo's ace extended Civitanova's lead to 13-17. In the final stages, OP Lagunzia and OH Nikolov scored aces in succession to make it 17-23, and finally, relief server OH Polija's ace was scored to give Civitanova a 18-25 victory in the set.
In the fourth set, Milano took a 6-3 lead with a spike from OP Regels and an ace from MB Kaneschi. From there, OH Otsuka and OP Regels made consecutive attacks, extending Milano's lead to 12-7. Civitanova then replaced S Orduna and OP Dirlic. They regained their rhythm, and OH Bottolo's attacks and service aces, along with Milano's subsequent mistakes, helped Civitanova tie the score at 17-17.
However, OH Otsuka made a difficult high ball to prevent the opponent's comeback, and Milano made consecutive breaks with spikes from OP Regels and others, widening the score difference again to 22-18. After that, Civitanova showed tenacity with blocks and spikes from OH Bottolo, and Civitanova tied the score again at 23-23, but in the end, OP Regels blocked OH Bottolo from a short serve from S Pollo, and Milano won the set 25-23 and brought it to a full set.
In the fifth set, OP Lagunzia scored consecutive spikes after a great dig by L. Baraso, putting Civitanova in front at 3-5. However, Milan quickly caught up with MB Kaneschi's block at 5-5, and then OH Ruati's net-in ace and OH Otsuka's block to stop OP Lagunzia put Milan back in front at 8-6. Nevertheless, Civitanova scored consecutive points with OP Lagunzia to take the lead again at 10-11. After this, OH Otsuka scored a spirited spike to stop the opponent's consecutive breaks and make it 11-11, but OH Nikolov's attack got three consecutive side outs and Civitanova had the first match point at 13-14.
However, OP Regels' spike brought Milano to deuce at 14-14, and then OH Bottolo made the only attack mistake of the match, giving Milano a match point at 16-15. Finally, OP Barot, who came in as a one-point blocker, blocked OH Bottolo and Milano won the set 17-15, winning 3-2 against Civitanova.
Detailed match stats here:
https://www.legavolley.it/match/38958
As the Milano members were filled with joy, Tatsunori Otsuka was selected as the MVP. He entered the court in earnest in the middle of the second set and showed his high scoring ability with 16 points (including 1 block), the second highest on the team, and an attack efficiency rate of 401 TP3T.
As Otsuka himself said after the match, "I was able to jump well and see the blocks and the court well," he hit the ball high that day, and had a wide range of shots from the line to the inside, and also mixed in soft shots such as pushes and tips to toy with Civitanova's defense until the end. He also scored many high balls coming up from near the end line. In particular, in the third set, he recorded an attack success rate of 6/6, with 1001 TP3T, making him the most reliable man in Milan that day.
Of course, his performance was not limited to his attacks. He also provided stability on the court with his serve reception, and even in the block, he took down the opponent's OP Lagungia with one shot at the decisive moment of the fifth set. Above all, he was more proactive in communicating than anyone else. If I had to say something, I would have liked him to have a stronger presence on his serve, but that would be asking too much.
The MVP of the Italian League is usually voted for by reporters. Of course, I voted for Otsuka after seeing his performance, but the local reporter next to me also wrote "OTSUKA" on his ballot, saying "We got beaten by the Japanese." In this way, he was the MVP of the day, as he was also highly evaluated by the local reporters from the opposing region who are volleyball fans.
Of course, Otsuka was not alone. S. Pollo's tossing technique, which actively used his own serve and quick mid-range shots, was outstanding. MB Schnitzer responded to those tosses with a high success rate. And OP Regels, who once lost his form but recovered from the fourth set onwards and scored a record 26 points, also stood out. But above all else, there is no doubt that the fact that the whole team never gave up and continued to fight until the end led to this victory.
Of course, Civitanova also showed good volleyball. L. Barrazo touched the ball at the last moment many times, turning a pinch into an opportunity. OH Vottolo's scoring ability in particular was phenomenal, and he maintained good form throughout the match with attacks, serves, and blocks, and continued to be a threat to Milan until the end. If Civitanova had won, he would have undoubtedly been the MVP. That's why it must have been very frustrating for him that both of the last two points were lost on his attacks. Not only him, but most of the Civitanova players, oozing with frustration, immediately went to the locker room after the match.
Meanwhile, Otsuka had cramps in his legs after the match. He said afterwards that he had been exerting about 120% power throughout the match, so his body must have been screaming slightly. Still, he managed to hold on until the end of the match. The toughness he showed in the Spring High School Qualifier Kyoto Prefecture Final between the Rakunan Quartet and the Higashiyama Takahashi Brothers, in which players' legs cramped one after another, shows that he is still as tough as ever. Fortunately, there is a week until the next match, and the match will be held at Milano's home ground, so I hope he can rest up and prepare for the next match. Given how well he performed this time, I expect him to be on the court as a starter next time.
Meanwhile, Civitanova will travel to Poland at 6am the next morning for the Challenge Cup away final game, and will prepare for the match on Wednesday the 12th, according to a Civitanova staff member. These schedule differences will likely affect the next match, but in any case, there is no doubt that the next match will also be a fierce battle.
Photo: legapallavolo.it, photo by the author
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