CEV Cup: Piacenza Victorious at Home Against Ljubljana in Thrilling Tie-Break

Gas Sales Bluenergy Volley Piacenza secured a dramatic 3-2 home victory against ACH Volley Ljubljana in a hard-fought CEV Cup encounter. The Italian side, despite a challenging start, showcased incredible resilience to win a thrilling tie-break.

The match began poorly for Piacenza, as the Slovenians quickly established a five-point lead in the opening set and held four set points. However, Piacenza mounted a remarkable comeback, nullifying seven set points before eventually clinching the set 30-28 with an ace from Bovolenta on their second opportunity. This hard-won momentum carried them through a more comfortable second set. The third set saw Ljubljana fight back, as Piacenza, despite saving four set points, ultimately succumbed. The Slovenians continued their strong performance to take the fourth set, pushing the match to a decisive tie-break. In the fifth set, Piacenza dominated, fueled by Mandiraci's exceptional run of ten consecutive serves, including three aces, which left Ljubljana with no reply.

Key contributions came from Mandiraci, who led Piacenza with 23 points, followed closely by Bovolenta with 21. Gutierrez and Simon also delivered strong performances, each tallying 17 points, with Simon impressing throughout the match.

Coach Boninfante's initial lineup featured Porro and Bovolenta in diagonal, Comparoni and Simon at center, Mandiraci and Gutierrez on the wings, and Loreti as the libero. ACH Volley Ljubljana responded with Ropret and Stern in diagonal, Pasjenk and Krzic Janz at center, Marovt and Urnaut on the wings, and Kovacic as their libero.

Match Progression: Set by Set

Set 1 (30-28 Piacenza): Piacenza started with two attack errors and an ace conceded, allowing Ljubljana to surge to a 1-6 lead, prompting a timeout from Coach Boninfante. The Biancorossi managed to narrow the gap to a single point (9-10) with Mandiraci, but Ljubljana again extended their lead (9-13 and 13-18), eventually reaching 14-20 with a Slovenian ace. Bovolenta's ace brought Piacenza back to within four points (18-22). A serving error from Gutierrez gave the visitors four set points (20-24), all of which Piacenza heroically saved through Mandiraci's efforts, a Mandiraci block, a Slovenian attack error, and Comparoni. Ljubljana earned three more set points, each denied by Mandiraci and Bovolenta. Piacenza finally got their first set point, which was saved, but Simon then set up a second opportunity (29-28), sealed by an ace from Bovolenta.

Set 2 (25-20 Piacenza): The quality of play increased, with Piacenza showing strong defense. A long rally ended with a point from Gutierrez (10-8), and Simon's block made it a three-point lead (11-8). Bovolenta extended it to 14-10. Ljubljana closed in (16-15), but Piacenza surged again with a first-tempo from Simon, a block from the newly entered Leon, and an ace from Bovolenta (19-15). The Slovenian team narrowed the deficit (21-19), leading to a timeout from Boninfante. Upon resumption, a point from Mandiraci (22-19), followed by a Comparoni block and a Porro ace, gave Piacenza five set points (24-19), which they converted on their second attempt.

Set 3 (27-29 Ljubljana): This set was tightly contested. Ljubljana gained a two-point advantage at 11-13, prompting a Boninfante timeout. Mandiraci's ace quickly brought Piacenza level at 13. Ljubljana again went ahead by two (13-15), but Simon's block tied it at 16. Bovolenta's ace then gave Piacenza a brief lead (17-16), forcing a Slovenian timeout. The teams traded points until 19-all, when Ljubljana pulled ahead again (19-21), leading Boninfante to call another timeout. Bovolenta's block leveled the score at 21, and Comparoni briefly gave Piacenza the lead (22-21). After being tied at 23, Ljubljana earned five set points, with Piacenza saving four through Gutierrez and Simon. On their fifth opportunity, Ljubljana closed the set with an ace.

Set 4 (20-25 Ljubljana): Ljubljana started strong again (2-5), while Piacenza struggled to find their rhythm, falling five points behind (6-11), forcing Boninfante's second timeout. The Slovenian team soared to a 9-18 lead. Two consecutive aces from Mandiraci (12-18) prompted a timeout from the Slovenian coach, but the gap for Piacenza was too significant. Despite closing in slightly (17-22), Ljubljana earned six set points (18-24) and sealed the set on their third try, leading to a tie-break.

Tie-Break (15-4 Piacenza): Ljubljana scored the first point, but Piacenza quickly took control, building a 6-3 lead and forcing a Ljubljana timeout. After the break, a Piacenza block and an ace from Mandiraci sent the teams to the changeover with Piacenza ahead by five (8-3). Piacenza completely dominated the rest of the set, with another ace from Mandiraci (11-3), a powerful hit from Gutierrez (12-3), and yet another Mandiraci ace making it 13-3. Piacenza earned ten match points (14-4) and closed the game with a decisive block-in.

Coach Dante Boninfante's Remarks

«We knew very well it would be a struggle; we faced an excellent team that might play differently from Italian teams, but they hit hard when needed. The guys did well to interpret the game. I expected the start to be even more difficult after Sunday's defeat; in these two days, we focused only on recovering energy and didn't actually train. The tie-break was beautiful. Now we build on this victory; we'll think about the return match from Monday, after the Modena challenge, which I expect to be very long and balanced.»

Match Statistics

GAS SALES BLUENERGY VOLLEY PIACENZA – ACH VOLLEY LJUBLJANA 3-2 (30-28, 25-20, 27-29, 20-25, 15-4)

GAS SALES BLUENERGY VOLLEY PIACENZA: Comparoni 5, Bovolenta 21, Gutierrez 17, Simon 17, Porro 1, Mandiraci 23, Loreti (L), Andringa, Leon 2, Travica, Pace, Bergmann, Iyegbekedo. Not entered: Galassi (L). Coach: Boninfante.

ACH VOLLEY LJUBLJANA: Urnaut 10, Krzic Janz 6, Stern 33, Marovt 15, Pajenk 11, Ropret 1, Kovacic (L), Sket, Sen. Not entered: Krzic Jost, Najdic, Prevorcnik, Verdinek (L). Coach: Kolakovic.

Referees: Magdalena Niewiarowska (Poland), Nuno Teixeira (Portugal).

Set Durations: 33’, 27’, 32’, 25’, 12’ Total: 129 minutes.

Attendance: 1870 spectators.