Milano Takes A1 Opening Match Against Firenze

In the first match of the LVF A1 Fineco season, Milano defeated Firenze 3-0. Coach Blengini’s lineup featured Bosio and Egonu as setters, Lanier and Piva in the outside positions, and Danesi and Kurtagić at middle blocker. Fersino served as libero.

Milano started slow, trailing for the first half of the opening set. Numia's strong blocking, including three consecutive monster blocks, gave them an 18-15 lead. Yoshino Sato debuted for Vero Volley in the closing stages, helping the team secure the set 25-20.

The second set remained tight initially. Milano's blocking again created a lead, 10-8. Numia attempted to pull away, but Firenze caught up at 20-20. Vero Volley maintained composure and won the set 25-22.

Il Bisonte led the third set, reaching 11-15. However, Lanier proved decisive from the outside, leading Milano to a 17-16 comeback. Egonu was instrumental as Milano completed the rally, winning the set 25-20 and earning their first three points of the championship.

Player and Coach Reactions

Anna Danesi (Numia Vero Volley Milano): "It was a positive debut, and we got the 3 points. We started a bit tense and excited in front of a fantastic crowd, so we showed many good things. The team on court looked cohesive, ready to play big matches. Our main strength, once again, was Paola Egonu; she will be our reference point all year, and she demonstrated that tonight. We broke the ice; now we will work to improve further."

Alessandro Orefice (Coach, Il Bisonte Firenze): "We are very satisfied with our approach to the match. We played away against a strong team with many young players debuting in our league, so we received many positive signals. Technically, we also showed good play. We managed to stay in the game, and it’s a shame about two or three easy opportunities we had, especially in the third set, which we couldn't capitalize on, particularly a couple of free balls at very important moments of the match. Nevertheless, we've started, and I believe we've seen a team eager to grow with plenty of room for improvement."

Match Details

NUMIA VERO VOLLEY MILANO - IL BISONTE FIRENZE 3-0 (25-20, 25-22, 25-20)

Numia Vero Volley Milano: Bosio (2), Lanier (8), Danesi (7), Egonu (27), Piva (4), Kurtagic (5), Fersino (L), Sato. Not used: Gennari, Dautova, Sartori, Di Napoli (L), Tessariol, Vazquez Gomez. Coach: Blengini.

Il Bisonte Firenze: Tanase (3), Acciarri (6), Boldini, Damaske (8), Caruso (9), Cugno (16), Negretti (L), Baird, Agrifoglio, Piacentini, Zojzi. Not used: Milosic, Fanfani (L). Coach: Orefice.

Referees: Brunelli, Goitre.

Set Durations: 26', 28', 30'; Total: 84'.

MVP: Paola Egonu (Numia Milano)

Serves: Numia Vero Volley Milano: 3 aces, 9 errors; Il Bisonte Firenze: 2 aces, 13 errors.

Attacks: Numia Vero Volley Milano: 39 kills, 9 errors; Il Bisonte Firenze: 39 kills, 7 errors.

Blocks: Numia Vero Volley Milano: 11 successful blocks; Il Bisonte Firenze: 1 successful block.