Seventh success in the championship for Stefano Lavarini’s Igor Volley, which thanks to the 3-0 win against Roma moves to 20 points in the standings, maintaining second place behind Conegliano. Among the Azzurri, the performance of Cristina Chirichella, awarded with merit as MVP Automagenta of the match (for her 11 points, 66% in attack and 3 blocks), and of the usual Ebrar Karakurt, top scorer of the match with 18 points, was significant.

Igor on the court with Karakurt opposite Hancock, Chirichella and Washington central, Bosetti and Daalderop spikers and Fersino free; Roma with Bugg in the direction and Klimets diagonally, Cecconello and Trnkova in the center, Pamio and Stigrot in the band and Venturi free.

Novara starts with Chirichella (4-1 block on Klimets) but Rome mends the tear and impacts on 8-8 with Cecconello, triggering a nice head-to-head in which Karakurt and Chirichella stand out on one side and Trnkova on the other. In the decisive moment it is the Czech center who puts her head ahead for the guests (19-20, block on Daalderop) but a mistake by Stigrot returns the inertia to the Azzurre (22-21) and after Saja Novara’s timeout maintains the slightest advantage until 24-23, signed by Hancock. To close the partial is a block by Karakurt on Cecconello, for 25-23.

Novara starts again “leaning” on Washington (4-3 with two consecutive fasts), but the usual Trnkova signs the break of 4-6, which forces Novara to chase until 7-7 of Daalderop who closes a hard-fought exchange in the pipe. Karakurt puts the arrow in parallel (12-11), Bosetti “stops” Klimets (16-12) and Novara tries to mortgage the set with Karakurt’s maniout that forces Saja to timeout at 19-13. Rome does not give up and shortens first 20-16 and then 21-18 while Lavarini stops the game; Klimets sends the ball into the net for 24-21 and on the second attempt it is Karakurt who closes in parallel for 25-22.

Novara with Bonifacio in the sextet but after Karakurt’s 1-0 it is the guests who make the void, escaping 1-4 with Trnkova’s block while Novara only partially mends (5-6) before the new Giallorossi break which is worth 6-10 on Stigrot’s maniout. From 9-13 comes the blue comeback, with Daalderop who first realizes Hancock’s great defense (12-13) and then impacts the wall (13-13) while Chirichella signs the overtaking with the first half of 16-15. Again the blue center for 20-17 and Bosetti secures the match with the points of 21-17 and 22-18: it is she who closes, shortly after, with the diagonal of 25-18.

Stefano Lavarini (coach Igor Gorgonzola Novara): “It wasn’t a good game for us but it’s the beginning of a very tough “series”, with two other high-level challenges. Thursday against Istanbul, in the Champions League, and then Sunday in Busto Arsizio we will obviously need to raise the bar but in the meantime we keep the three points and the 3-0 which are still two important things and not at all obvious “.

Stefano Saja (Acqua e Sapone Roma coach): “Of today’s match perhaps the only real regret can be for the end of the third set, in which we did less well what we had prepared. We certainly approached the first set well and we were very close to bringing it home, in the second we still remained in the game. It wasn’t easy, Novara is a very strong team and I would say that there is a lot of good to start from: we are on the right path”.

Ebrar Karakurt (opposite Igor Gorgonzola Novara): “I’m proud of my teammates and my team, because winning 3-0 is never easy in the league and we did it against a team that did everything to put us in difficulty. Now we have a match with THY Istanbul, my former team, which will obviously be special for me. They are a strong team but I think we have what it takes to do well.”

Igor Gorgonzola Novara – Acqua e Sapone Roma 3-0 (25-23, 25-22, 25-18)
Igor Gorgonzola Novara: Imperiali (L) ne, Herbots, Montibeller, Battistoni, Fersino (L), Bosetti 10, Chirichella 11, Hancock 2, Bonifacio 2, Washington 7, Costantini ne, D’Odorico, Daalderop 7, Karakurt 18. Coach: Lavarini.
Acqua e Sapone Rome: Avenia ne, Trnkova 12, Bucci (L) ne, Bugg 1, Cecconello 6, Venturi (L), Stigrot 8, Papa 1, Pamio 6, Klimets 11, Arciprete ne, Rebora, Decortes. Coach: Saja.
MVP Cristina Chirichella