The great spirit of the University of Bologna. In the semi-final of the EUSA European University Championships in Salerno, the Unibo women’s volleyball team came within a whisker of defeat. But they bounced back. They turned the fourth set around and clinched victory in the fifth. A 3-2 win (25-18, 22-25, 23-25, 25-23, 15-10) means they will play for gold tomorrow.
Against the Hungarian University of Sport Science, CUS Bologna had a few lapses in the second, third and fourth sets. But by staying focused, the Alma Mater Studiorum team, led from the bench by Leonardo Palladino, reached the final. Tomorrow, at 7 pm, they face the Lithuanians of Vytautas Magnus University in the final.
Also tomorrow, Jordan Losi’s Unibo women’s basketball team will play at 10 am against the Dutch side from Maastricht University, aiming to secure at least ninth place. At 3 pm, meanwhile, the men’s basketball team, coached as ever by Matteo Lolli, will face the quarter-final against the Romanian side from the National University of Sciences and Technology Politehnica Bucharest.
But let’s return to the Alma Mater women’s volleyball team and the comments from Giulia Galletti, Chiara Tarantino and Ilaria Gaiani. Here’s Giulia Galletti: “Well done, girls – it wasn’t an easy match. We started well, but they didn’t give up. They caught up with us and overtook us. We played brilliantly in the fourth set when they could have sealed the win. Instead, we hung in there, with our heads and our hearts. And we even took the tie-break.”
Chiara Tarantino goes further: “It really was a brilliant match. We held on right until the end. We never gave up, and it showed. We’re absolutely delighted to be playing for gold. And we’re ready for tomorrow.”
The final word goes to Leonardo Palladino’s right-hand woman, Ilaria Gaiani. “We started off a bit sluggishly, unable to play to our full potential. They came at us hard right from the start; they attacked brilliantly and defended even better because they were desperate to reach the final. We held our own when we found ourselves trailing. We certainly didn’t play our best. But we had to win the fourth set to level the match. And take the final set, as we did, to secure our place in the final.”
The line-up: Chiara Tarantino, Sofia Ceroni 13, Sofia Cangini, Camilla Ioli, Lucia Mercolini, Tea Reggiani 2, Sofia Migliorini 9, Alice Trampus 21, Sara Fontemaggi 14, Erika Bendoni, Arianna Gambini, Giulia Galletti 9, Chiara Marinucci 9.
Coach Leonardo Palladino, assistant coach Ilaria Gaiani, team manager Dalila Modestino, officials Alessandro Vitti and Agostino Briatico, referee Luca Frazzoni.
Press Office – CUS Bologna ASD
