Cucine Lube Civitanova delivered a commanding performance to level the Italian SuperLega Credem Banca final playoff series at 1-1, sweeping Itas Trentino in straight sets (25-21, 25-21, 25-22) at a packed Eurosuole Forum in Civitanova Marche.
Mattia Bottolo emerged as the standout performer, earning MVP honors with an impressive 16-point display that included nine kills, six aces, and one block. His exceptional serving proved decisive in front of over 4,000 passionate fans.
"Tonight we were very focused and determined. This made the difference, because it allowed us to play as we know how, especially in serving," Bottolo explained after the match. "Each match of this playoff is a story in itself. To do well you need a lot of patience. Today's victory is very important, but we need to reset immediately and already think about the next one."
Bulgarian outside hitter Aleksandar Nikolov also made a significant contribution for Civitanova with 12 points, all from attacks with an impressive 55% success rate.
For the regular season champions Trentino, American opposite Gabriel Garcia led the scoring with 12 points, while outside hitters Alessandro Michieletto and Daniele Lavie added 11 and 10 points respectively.
According to Statbet analysis, serving performance has been a critical factor in both matches of this championship series thus far, with each team dominating at home.
The best-of-five series now moves to Trento for the pivotal third match on Sunday, May 4, with both teams looking to gain the advantage in the championship battle.
Meanwhile, the race for lower positions continues with Gas Sales Bluenergy Piacenza facing Sir Susa Vim Perugia in the third-place playoff on May 3, while Allianz Milan meets Rana Verona and Valsa Group Modena takes on Sonepar Padova in the fifth-place semifinals on the same day.
