Cuba's Marlon Yant
Havana, April 26 (JIT) - Cuban Marlon Yant will dispute the title of the Italian Volleyball Super League 2023, after his team Lube Civitanova defeated Milano in the fifth duel of the semifinal play off in four sets (27-25, 25-22, 23-25, 27-25, 27-25).
Once again, the contribution of the Villaclareño was decisive in the victory of his club, as he finished third in scoring with 15 points, 11 in attack (46% efficiency), two blocks and the same number of service aces.
In the rival team, his compatriot Osniel Mergarejo also scored 15 points, including a block and 14 spikes. However, his effectiveness did not exceed 39%, unlike other days.
Civitanova and Milano were quite level in the collective numbers: attack (61-57), blocking (6-7), service (5-4) and own errors (29-20). The contest lasted two hours and four minutes.
On the other hand, in positive receptions the combative opponent performed better with 58% compared to 47% for the defending Italian champion.
The top scorer for Civitanova was Aleksandeer Nikolov (21), followed by Zaytsev (17). For Milano, like Mergarejo, four other players contributed 15 points.
The other semifinal was won by the favored Trentino team over Piacenza also in four very close sets (18-25, 25-20, 25-17, 25-19).
Neither the star of the Cuban team, Robertlandy Simon, nor the Brazilian nationalized Yoandy Leal showed their best "faces" in the crucial battle.
The Cuban giant managed five attacks, an action in which he had only 36% efficiency. In blocking he had a good performance with four goals. Leal accumulated 10 spikes.
In this match, Trentino and Piacenza concluded with fairly even numbers: attack (43-45), blocking (9-8) and service (5-6). Only in their own mistakes did the winners outplay their victims (22-36).
The final play-off will begin on May 1 and the other two matches are scheduled for May 4 and 5. If necessary, the two remaining matches will take place on May 10 and 14.
The third place play-off between Milano and Piacenza will start on April 29. The others are scheduled for May 2, 6, 9 and 13.
