Italy - Serie A1 2023/24

    I was hoping to watch Imoco vs Milono on Volleyball tv which I have subscription, but I don’t see it. Maybe it’ll will be available later. I read it on twitter that Imoco had 22 service error and no aces, with that many error, I am curious how did they able to win the game? It sounds like from what everyone wrote in here, they both played below their usual level!

    Quote from Aro

    I was hoping to watch Imoco vs Milono on Volleyball tv which I have subscription, but I don’t see it. Maybe it’ll will be available later. I read it on twitter that Imoco had 22 service error and no aces, with that many error, I am curious how did they able to win the game? It sounds like from what everyone wrote in here, they both played below their usual level!

    I was curious so I checked for you, I found it when I scrolled down a bunch on home screen all the way to "23-24 Women's Serie A1 Replays" > Women's Coppa Italia replays. But maybe it already works when you use this link? Enjoy watching! :heart:

    Do you guys think lubian will loose her starting slot when chirichella arrives next season?

    Quote from side.out

    She dropped a little bit as the match went by, but she had a good impact in the first two sets, both on attack and pass. Not a bad match from her in my opinion.

    Pity we can't make Marchiaro join the party... :Lol: We'll see what Velasco will do in a few months.

    I understand what you're saying, but then it's not just about players' talent, it's also a matter of putting them in the best condition possible to express it. A thing that Guidetti was able to do when it mattered, the same can't be said about Gaspari. This was a game a game that a team like VakıfBank wouldn't have lost nine times out of ten. As a matter of fact, I do believe that Conegliano will have ann ever harder time in Istanbul on Tuesday.

    I insist that the matter is also technical. Well as I said Egonu has some technical issues. She had them all her life. She can not be something which is not. When she is in the back row she is taking a lot of points from the pipe and the inside attack. Orro can not set in the pipe and in the inside attack. So she lost her points source from the back row and she is forced to handle slow, really high and terrible sets specially from Castillo ( sorry Brenda) and she is not good in this type of setting. With this she is losing points and making errors. Also an other matter is the speed. That is also a technical issue and by far the biggest one. Orro is not setting fast to player who is incredibly fast and this is maybe her biggest advantage because with her speed and the height range of her attack she can avoiding the blocks ALL THE TIME and win points. What can I say ? This is Egonu and she became the clearly the best in some period even with her problems. So stop to expuse her to her problems , costumize to her style and all will be fine. It may sound a bit like that, but not everyone is as easy to use as Boskovic is who is hardly dependent on the setter and just needs a high ball and scores ( it is just a unbelievable how Naz is so bad with her). Paola needs rackets and a special style of setting to perform at her best.

    Also generally the pipe is not exist in the game and this is because of the setter so an other technical issue. As about the setter Orro is a pure mess and this is also technical issue. Sometimes her sets are right on the opposing block as if she is setting up on the opponents, sometimes she sends the ball further back than it should be, spoiling the tempo of the striker and sometimes they are crooked, etc. And in most cases, even in entire matches, all strikers play CONTINUOUSLY with double blocks in front of them.

    And at the end lets go to Brenda. She is pure pleasure in the reception. She gives the team huge confidence . Her reception is simply a guarantee. In the defence sometimes is good like in this weekend sometimes she is digging less butr generally pretty nice. But her sets.... Are awful both in placing and in the hight and it's hard for me to believe that someone with so much ball control can't set better. Also this is a technical issue.

    Now for this specific much maybe it is difficult for someone to believe it but I do not blame so much Nika or Kara. They take by the worst sets ever and when they do not kill them Orro just forgot their existance.

    Gaspari.... After so many months is well known who are the best players for the starting six. He needs to insist in Nika and not change her all the time. Santarelli insist a lot in Plummer even when she has 5 points in CL final with negative.

    WELL NIKA IS NOT MY FAVOURITE PLAYER and I do not belive that she is mentally very stronge but these two years Guidetti and Gaspari are like they are trying with all their powers to destroy her;(;(;(;(. Her difference between yestersay and today is simple and techninal. Yesterday she was spiking with one block almost in her half efforts and maybe more and today she the sets to her was almost imposible to be killed.

    As for the coaching as I said a pure mess with changes all the time. Also the fact that they sign for the next season the 3 of 4 OH is a deep problem which it means that there are problems of understanding. They should keep Sylla who is Italian and Nika. Bajema has extremely big problem with the reception and Cazaute is really a mentally weak player. As I said there are a lot technical issues

    Quote from Sassy

    Queen :heart::super: she's still far from being "Over de Top" haha


    I don't know about the first few times, so has she been a valuable part of the team each of those wins? (I.e. this year, she subbed in over Lubian when possible)

    I mean she used to start all the big time matches for imoco and she was considered one of the best MB in her prime

    I have the feel these are issues that won't be there with a different coaching staff. We're talking about the same team that took a convincing victory in Istanbul against VakıfBank. As much as the defending Champions League title holder aren't as deadly as the past, it's still a team that can do damages (and tomorrow I can sense we'll see a proof of that): that means you need some sort of quality in order to sweep them on the road and Milano certainly proved that. I'm not denying Orro's erratic perfomances or the unstable showing of the OH unit, I'm just putting a lot of emphasis on Gaspari's hectic management because I do believe that the huge difference between these two teams is the mentality (Gennari's subs is a great example).

    Quote from Madden54

    I mean she used to start all the big time matches for imoco and she was considered one of the best MB in her prime

    Thankyou! I think I (only) started watching some Italian matches around 2016-2017 but mostly Novara with Dijkema/Pietersen/Plak. It was Robin's first year with Imoco, but I saw on Volleybox that she had Danesi and Folie as other MBs though, so no way to assume she was a starter haha as those are great as well.


    And all I remember from her year in Piacenza is a picture with Lise van Hecke in pink wigs after their championship win, but no idea if she was a starter or bench player back then :rolll: but it's an impressive record! I guess Moki is one of the contenders to overtake the record with 6 wins now, are there still other active players who would come close? Maybe Fahr?

    Quote from Sassy

    Thankyou! I think I (only) started watching some Italian matches around 2016-2017 but mostly Novara with Dijkema/Pietersen/Plak. It was Robin's first year with Imoco, but I saw on Volleybox that she had Danesi and Folie as other MBs though, so no way to assume she was a starter haha as those are great as well.


    And all I remember from her year in Piacenza is a picture with Lise van Hecke in pink wigs after their championship win, but no idea if she was a starter or bench player back then :rolll: but it's an impressive record! I guess Moki is one of the contenders to overtake the record with 6 wins now, are there still other active players who would come close? Maybe Fahr?

    I don't think so, it's something quite rare and only comparable to what Ravenna did back in the 1980's and 1990's, when it was a powerhouse and won eleven consecutive championship. I guess one of these players (Manuela Benelli is the first name that goes through my mind) might have similar numbers to the one Robin de Kruijf and Monica De Gennaro have.

    Quote from side.out

    I have the feel these are issues that won't be there with a different coaching staff. We're talking about the same team that took a convincing victory in Istanbul against VakıfBank. As much as the defending Champions League title holder aren't as deadly as the past, it's still a team that can do damages (and tomorrow I can sense we'll see a proof of that): that means you need some sort of quality in order to sweep them on the road and Milano certainly proved that. I'm not denying Orro's erratic perfomances or the unstable showing of the OH unit, I'm just putting a lot of emphasis on Gaspari's hectic management because I do believe that the huge difference between these two teams is the mentality (Gennari's subs is a great example).

    Congeliano has a mentality similar to Foppapedretti Bergamo from a dozen years ago or, for example, Sisley Treviso in men's competitions at the beginning of the 21st century. The difference is that in those clubs the majority of the squad were Italian players who largely identified with these clubs, e.g. Piccinini. On the other hand, Bergamo had a great opponent in the Despar Perugia team, while currently Congeliano is winning practically all in Italy in last years. There are strong opponents on paper but they always fail in decisive matches.

    Quote from USAvolleyfan

    One of the best..like 10 maybe? She has always been a great slider, but a weak blocker, and server too.. She has been second choice to Furst and Rasic in Vakif too. But I love her and her provocations (sometimes)

    well Rasic in her prime is one of the very best middles ever. Like top 3. Robin is still a very great and she’s won literally so much in career her resume can’t be ignored

    Quote from USAvolleyfan

    One of the best..like 10 maybe? She has always been a great slider, but a weak blocker, and server too.. She has been second choice to Furst and Rasic in Vakif too. But I love her and her provocations (sometimes)

    De Kruijf definitely is one of the best middle blockers in recent year, probably one of the strongest attacking middle blockers and her blocking isn't that bad. When she played with Skorupa her first year in Conegliano, she was top scorer almost every match! There is a reason she is playing for one of the best teams in the world for already 8 years!

    Quote from tunc

    Rasic was slightly better at their best times, therefore Rasic was playing in Turkish league when Robin was sitting at bench.

    Interesting that Rasic was not too far from her prime when she retired, she played 2 big finals that year and won bronze at Olympics. She retired young(barely 30) because she wanted to start a family.