Cuneo swept Piacenza in three games, Treviso won fourth game Monza 3:0 and Macerata was better than Modena. The semi-finals duels are Trento vs Macerata and Cuneo vs Treviso.
Cuneo was in great shape, physically and mentally, and it clinched all 3 quarterfinal duels without much wandering about. It swept the Italian champions 3-0 and qualified for the semi-finals, the fifth in a row for the club.
Simone Parodi (Bre Banca Lannutti Cuneo): “I am very happy with the win. We played well, we all really wanted it and this brings us to the semi-finals. We have to keep playing like this, with this fighting spirit, tactic and then we could do great things if the fans help us like in the last game”.
Angelo Lorenzetti (CoprAtlantide Piacenza): “This season did not satisfy us. Everybody knows we have had problems losing Marshall, but we could have done better. We’ll have time to analyse and ponder over it, on the mistakes that I’ve made as a coach too. Still, I repeat what I said at the end of last season: this group in Piacenza is unique and I’m proud to have coached it”.
A packed Fontescodella pushed an irresistible Macerata team to victory in game four against Modena, who could do very little. This was the first 3-0 score of the playoffs for De Giorgi’s team but one that sealed the series 3-1. Macerata will face Trentino in the semi finals. Vermiglio and Ormcen took charge as the Croatian finished with 18 points (2 aces) and deservedly took the MVP award.
Ferdinando De Giorgi (Lube Banca Marche Macerata): “I think the first set was key. Despite the difficulties, we managed to stay close playing with great intensity on each ball. We made a few mistakes but the attitude was the one we wanted. You could see right from the start that our mind set was good. I am happy because Modena is a strong team and the series has been as tough as we expected. We are improving, technically but also in other less important aspects, like density, on which I like to insist. Let’s focus on the semi-final now, we’ll face another very tough opponent”.
The fourth semi-finalist is Treviso. Monza lost 3-0 at home for the first time in the league this season. As for Treviso, everything went to perfection, while Monza could only block them once in three sets at the net. MVP Ricardo was indeed a master in orchestrating the play. Monza did try its best to stay close but when it had to make the final push to go over the hump, it was blocked by Treviso at the net.
Ricardo (Sisley Treviso): “We played with the right attitude today, the right mentality, all the more so considering the memories of the 3-0 loss in the last game here in Monza. We knew how strong they were, and we gave everything we had, with the will to win on whatever score, and we made it”.
Mauro Berruto (Acqua Paradiso Monza): “We went at 150 miles/hour for most of the season, we knew we were often playing close to our limits, showing great quality. Unfortunately, we did not manage to repeat that kind of performance in the last two games. We have to give credit to Treviso, it deserved to win this series and we wish them well for the rest of the playoffs. I have nothing else to say, apart from applauding every single one of my players, because each one of them had an extraordinary season”.
