Serie A - 3rd Semifinals

raylight have you seen matchball for Lube today? THAT WAS LUCK!

let me say.... OH.MY.GOD!!!!

Macerata deserved to win, was more lucid, more focused, and the way they won the tie-break... just unbeliveble!! (and I cheers Cuneo, so...). Difficult to say who didn't play wel in Maceratal... amazing Savani, Omrcen and Conte...

Cuneo also when won the sets wasn't brilliant as usually, expecially with Wijsman and Mastro. Henno, Nikolov and also Patriarca played very well, Volkov did great thing and stupid errors. not a big difference with the last match...

I actually recognized the real Cuneo at the beginning of tie break and in few other moments... I think that if they fight with Macerata in this way even playing not at the top, if Wijsman and Mastro will come back they can win again. But at the moment Macerata seems to be stronger.

ah, also this match both the teams defended very well, but again Macerata gave something more.

btw, Zyta is right, the matchball was definitly lucky.

Zyta, I couldn't find links to the match

do you remember first serve of dennis? This time ball felt down straight to in the middle, no one had chance to even try pass it like juanto. And lube looses 5:10 in tie break...
The biggest problem of cuneo is not absence of parodi, because giuse doing his best, but wijsmans disposition, he always finish those difficult balls, today about half of those he screwed he usually could finish. But i'm not blame him, the reason why play is that he is fighter and playing on painkillers, his leg is not ok. Also cuneo never had problem whn opponent try to chase score, today they screwed few times when thy had about 5 points over lube. It will be REALLY hard for them to reach the final.

How was Nikolov in the crucial points? I see he has good stats, but did he make the important points?

1st May 2011
18:00 Itas Diatec Trentino - Casa Modena

będzie można obejrzeć w necie?

I really like Nikolov yesterday, more than the Nikolov of the first match (when he was named MVP). I think this was his best match in the semifinal.
His only fault was the error in serve at 23-24 for Macerata at the second set (if I'm not wrong)

Wijsman unfortunally is definitly under his normal level, you're absolutly right Zyta, he usually closes almost all the difficult situation he had the chance to close, instead this time he committed so many errors and often in important moment, for exemple after an incredible and long really he shot the ball out... and at the beginning of the match he sent a lot of serve on the net.
the stats: attack 35% (12 /34), blocked 7 times e 4 errors...

But also Mastro these last two matches didn't play very well...mistakes in attacks and not very consistent in block.

And you are right, even if probably Parodi would add something to Cuneo, his absence is not the reason (or at least the main reason) of Cuneo problems: they aren't blocking well as usually. And their attacks is not really effective (while Macerata had really high stats).

Macerata simply played a better match, just like the previous one. They were more efficient in attack, but what helped them the most was a lot of commitment in defense (maybe Savani's serve was lucky, but take a look at that rally with Papparoni's terrific defense before). About Cristian- he worked his luck out, simply he hit the ball hard and took the risk 2 times, if he hadn't Macerata wouldn't have probably won this match. If the saying "luck keeps the better ones" is still actual, it would fit this match perfectly.

I would say that last ball was punishment for Cuneo for letting Lube for matchball, it just shouldn't happen when you have tie-break which you opened 4:0 and you heading 10:5.

raylight Nikolov was sometimes in crucial points, but sometimes he was blocked. He was more angry when his defense wasn't successful, I think is harder for him with every match because of that arm.

Really good match of Omrcen, Savani was not good in reception, sometimes he passed so easy balls wrong and Valerio set to Igor for triple block, but yesterday it wasn't problem for him. Omrcen attacked 49 times, Valerio used him yesterday like Nikola usually use Ivan when Serbian receivers are not effective in scoring points ?

Omrcen was blocked 9 times?

and, let me say that I was really glad Martino was never used during this match. Conte is on the right way to replace HugoXD

"I would say that last ball was punishment for Cuneo for letting Lube for matchball, it just shouldn't happen when you have tie-break which you opened 4:0 and you heading 10:5."--> totally agree. and actually Macerata deserved to win in my opinion. also the second match.

btw, also Cuneo defended a lot, but not as Macerata did.
what's surprised me in these last two matches is that too often there was some misunderstanding that I didn't expect from Cuneo.

I though again about Parodi absence, and I realized that actually the fact he isn't playing is a problem bigger than I belived, because if he would play Giuliani could change Patriarca for Wijsman sometimes, and let him rest for a while.
so the problem is not that Patriarca isn't good, but the fact they don't have other OH... considering that Galic is never used and Montagna neither (but Montagna could be a choice just for the second line, not for attack, and that was Wijsman main problem)

Trentino back in the right way :]

Great actions from both sides. I like the young boys - Kooy and Sokolov ?

I didn't see the match, but I read it was a great match. Do you agree?=)

ps but I also read that this wasn't sokolov best day...

Yes, that was a good match, but what helped Trento win were the inviduals (serve) in the most important moments. In the First set Juantorena destroyed the 3 point advantage of Modena right before the final part of this set, and Stokr made an ace later on when they were fighting for a break. Second set was also tight, but Kaziyski finished it with his serve, also he brought Trento out of some troubles in the 3rd starting from 2:6 to 9:6 for his team in a run. Sokolov played a nice match, he finished half of the balls sent to him and didn't make big errors.

I think if Trento keeps their game on the same level Modena will beat them home once again, because they played a very good match yesterday and it was away.

I hope so! Trento really deserve to get the final, so I'm not saying I wish they won't win the seminfinal, but I wish Modena makes the serie be longer!!=)

more matches and more suspence! =)

Trento kicked some ass but almost nobody seems to care. When the opposite happened, the topic was full of comments!

And what did you expect? It's nothing special that people are looking for a sensation, that's their right, like Trento has the right to lose sometimes. Trentino didn't kick ass but they won a tough match yesterday. You can say they kicked Modena in the first match as well they were kicked in the second. I think you're a bit too touchy.

Is it true that the final is one match ?

Michal, I mean exactly that - people are biased in their perception - the sensation always triggers more reaction than the usual, no matter how unusual in fact it is, if it stays the same for a while ? This is the brain, adapting to the information

Nightfox - yes, they have turned it into a cup so the worse team can have better chance and the regular season will mean exactly nothing - all this games for a dollar

Because last match Modena - Trento was sensational, they never lost 8:25 in set, if they would lost every set with difference two points, nobody would care that much about Modena's victory. I don't understand what you want form us? To be excited every time when Trento win? Think about our health, it may finish with heart attack if I would be exiting about all those won matches this season.

ahahh ZytaXD
I agree, I can't be surprise if Trento won easliy 3:0, but I defintly will surprise if they lose a match 25:8 with an "inferior" team.
I will be/am surprised also if/when they lose 25:8/3:0 with Cuneo, or Macerata, or Zenit, or Belchatow...
I love volleyball also because it can be unpredictable=)

ah, if you win the regoular season you get the right to partecipate to the next CL.

and give you a lot of advantages in the play off (you played against the 8th, and after again the 4th or 5th, so you teorically have more chance to get the final).

If who is the best NT in the world can be decided in one match, the same can happen to chose the best italian club?