Uyba make an even debut against Novara: Igor win in the tie-break

Context

TL;DR

• Novara wins 3-2 in the tie-break
• UYBA earns one point
• At the Biella Forum: 1679 spectators
• Grozer finishes with 26 points

Key facts

• Matchday → first matchday of women's Serie A1
• Venue → Biella Forum
• Result → Laica Cioccolato UYBA-Igor Gorgonzola Novara 2-3
• Score → 25-22, 15-25, 19-25, 25-22, 12-15
• Spectators → 1679
• Grozer → 26 points
• UYBA attack → 42%
• Igor attack → 40%; Igor reception → 56%

The derby at the Biella Forum

The Ticino derby on the first matchday of the women's Serie A1 championship favored Igor Novara, but did not punish Laica Busto Arsizio. The Farfalle conceded only in the tie-break, handing two points to the Piedmont side and keeping one after a match that ended 2-3.

The match was played at the Biella Forum, a venue chosen by the red-and-white club to make up for the closure of viale Gabardi. About 1.700 fans came for a fixture that is always keenly contested, while the scoresheet lists 1679 spectators. The different-than-usual venue did not change the tone of the match, which remained open until the final set.

Laica, without Parra, started with the right rhythm. In the first set, Busto Arsizio led at the crucial moments and closed it 25-22. The set gave the home side the first lead of the evening, but Igor reacted immediately in the following set, won 15-25 by Tolok and her teammates.

Starting with the third set, the contest became even again. Novara managed to pull away from Busto Arsizio late in the set, taking it 19-25. Laica responded in the fourth, in a head-to-head battle in which a single mistake could have shifted the momentum. The substitutions, with Marchesini and Torcolacci on court, and the courage of the red-and-white side brought the score to 25-22.

The result thus sent the two teams to a fifth set. In the tie-break, Uyba held its own against its rivals for a long time, before a couple of wayward balls and an ace by Tolok altered the score. The concluding 12-15 gave Novara the victory, leaving Busto Arsizio with a point and regret over a match that slipped away only at the end.

The split of the points reflects the course of a debut played point by point. Igor secured the win, but Laica made life difficult for the Piedmont side until the final action of the fifth set.

Operational details

The protagonists and the match data

The individual performance of Laica centered primarily on Leana Grozer. The opposite hitter finished with 26 points, adding 4 blocks and 2 aces, and carried the Butterflies in a match in which Busto Arsizio also received contributions from her teammates. The Japanese player Wada, with 14 points, and Matilde Munarini and Battista, both on 10, also reached double figures.

On the other side of the net, Tolok led Novara with 24 points. Her tally was complemented by Grobelna's 14 points and Squarcini's 14. The individual numbers explain the importance of the attackers in the decisive moments, without erasing the work of the red-and-white defense, described by the source as always highly reactive at the collective level.

The statistical score sheet also compares the fundamentals of the two teams. UYBA recorded 4 aces, 14 service errors, 9 blocks, 42% in attack, 42% in reception and 31 total errors. Igor finished with 6 aces, 15 service errors, 14 blocks, 40% in attack, 56% in reception and 22 errors.

The reported percentages therefore distinguish UYBA's 42% in attack from Igor's 40% in attack; the 56% instead concerns the reception of the Novara team. In Laica's case, the score sheet also indicates 42% in reception. These are figures that accompany the result without changing the reading of a match decided by the narrowest margin.

Matilde Munarini linked the team's ups and downs to having had the full squad together for only four days, also emphasizing the determination shown on court:

«We are very satisfied with this match – Matilde Munarini explains – we have had many ups and downs, but I think that is normal given that we have had the full squad together for only four days. I particularly liked the desire to win that we showed on court; now we only need to refine our chemistry».

The statement adds to the account of the score the issue of chemistry that still needs refining. For Enrico Barbolini's team, the source nevertheless speaks of encouraging signs after a debut that ended in a defeat, but with a point earned and a performance that remained competitive for five sets.

Key points

The second matchday and the complete scoresheet

The next reference given by the source for Uyba is the second matchday, which will see the team face Conegliano, described as unsinkable in the text. There are no other details about the fixture, while the report of the debut makes it possible to reconstruct the lineups used and the official data from the match.

For Busto Arsizio, the scoresheet lists Battista with 10 points, Pelloni marked with the letter L, Malual did not play, Monaco, Marchesini with 6, Parlangeli did not play, Spaziano, Munarini with 10, Torcolacci with 4, Grozer with 26, Martínez Vela did not play, Seki with 3, Otomo with 1 and Wada with 14. The team was coached by Enrico Barbolini.

The Igor Novara lineup included Cambi with 3 points, Herbots with 12, Squarcini with 14, De Nardi did not play, Weske did not play, Grobelna with 14, Alsmeier, Moro marked with the letter L, Bartolini did not play, Bonifacio with 11, Carraro, Tolok with 24, Perinelli and Awoleye did not play. The coach was Massimo Barbolini.

The report also lists Piana and Serafin as referees. The sets lasted 29, 22, 25, 31 and 16 minutes, for a total of 2h 18′. These are the concluding elements of the sheet for a match that ended in the fifth set, with the 12-15 giving Novara the win.

The second matchday against Conegliano therefore represents the next step cited for the Busto Arsizio team. The debut leaves Uyba with the work on team chemistry referred to by Munarini and an official match in which the red-and-white lineup remained in contention until the tiebreak.

Source: varesenews.it