On Sunday, April 27th local time, in the fifth round of the Italian Superlegga 5th place qualifying match, Milan, where Otsuka Tatsunori plays, faced off against Cisterna, where Tarumi Yume plays, with Milan winning 3-0 (25-20, 28-26, 25-21).
This match started with Otsuka in the starting lineup and Tarumi on the bench. Also, based on the results of the previous matches, whoever won this match would advance to the main tournament, and whoever lost would almost certainly be eliminated from the qualifying round.
In the first set, Milano took a 3-0 lead with OP Regels' spikes. Cisterna closed the gap to 1 point at 7-6 with OH Ramon's spikes, but then OH Gardini's spikes and blocks, MB Kaneschi's service ace, and Milano widened the gap to 17-11. S Pollo scored an ace, and when Milano was up 19-13, Cisterna brought in OH Tarumi. However, the Japanese players were only on the court for a short time, as at 19-14, OH Otsuka fell while chasing the ball and hit his head on the boards, and was replaced by OH Ruati. However, the match continued at Milano's pace, and in the end, OH Ruati scored a spike to give Milano a 25-20 victory in the set.
In the second set, both teams played with the same lineup as at the end of the first set. OH Byram's ace made Cisterna break at 1-2, and then OH Tarumi's spike and MB Mazzone's block extended their lead to 7-10. Milan tied the score at 12-12 with an OH Ruati spike and an MB Schnitzer ace, and from there the game was a close one. Cisterna was the first to get a set point at 23-24, but OP Regels' spike put Milan back at 27-26. Finally, OH Gardini hit a pipe attack on a free ball returned from a powerful serve by S Pollo, giving Milan the set at 28-26.
The third set was a close one from the beginning, with Milan's OH Gardini and Cisterna's MB Nedeljkovic scoring points to 15-15. However, OH Gardini scored a spike on a block and Milan took the lead at 17-15. Then OH Ruati and OP Barot, who came in as a substitute, scored points to put Milan in front at 24-21, three points behind, and they had a match point. Finally, S Pollo scored a service ace to win the set at 25-21, and Milan won 3-0.
The MVP was OH Gardini, who scored the most points of both teams with 15. He also had a high attack efficiency rate of 521 TP3T, and used his 205cm height to contribute to the victory with 2 points on the block. His serve reception success rate was 171 TP3T, and he conceded only 1 point, which is still the same, but he is feeling good after winning his second MVP in the 5th place match. I would have liked to see him play opposite Otsuka in Milan again next season, but it seems he will be transferred. Too bad.
Unfortunately, OH Otsuka was injured and had to leave the game before he could score. However, judging from his condition after the match, it didn't seem to be serious. The hard work of chasing the ball to the end of the court during the match is one of the best parts of volleyball and is a moment that moves the hearts of the spectators, but aggressive play also increases the risk of injury, so we can only hope that his play will not lead to any injuries in the future.
OH Tarumi of Cisterna, who entered the match as a substitute, was active with 7 points. In particular, in the second set, he scored 5 points after an OP fall with a sharp spike from a flexible jump, cornering Milano, but in the following third set, he struggled to score points and his attack effectiveness rate was a harsh 141 TP 3 T.
Unfortunately, due to the accident with OH Otsuka mentioned above, both players were only able to play on the court for two rallies in the first set. As this was the last Rakunan Quartet match of the season, I was hoping for a battle between the two when OH Tarumi entered the match, but unfortunately that did not happen.
However, it is rumored that the two will play on the same team next season, and it was recently announced that fellow Rakunan Quartet member S Yamamoto Ryu will play for Taranto in Italy next season, albeit in A2. It would be exciting if all three play in Italy next season, but perhaps we will see all three play in the Italian Superleg in the 2026/27 season.
As a result of this match, Milan finished second in the 5th place playoff qualifying round and will play Verona in the semi-finals of the main tournament at 24:30 on Saturday, May 3rd (Japan time). Cisterna was also eliminated from the qualifying round and has now finished all of its matches for this season.
Photo: legavolley.it
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