Zaytsev power surge sparks Italy revival

San Juan, Argentina, June 2, 2018 - Ivan Zaytsev surged back to top form as Italy rebounded from their first Volleyball Nations League defeat to sink Iran 3-0 (25-23, 25-18, 25-20) on Saturday.

Zaytsev, the prolific and hard-hitting Italian wing spiker, had struggled in his team’s loss to Canada a day earlier but was back to his best in racking up 14 attacking points to comfortably see off Iran’s challenge.

Osmany Juantorena was strong and consistent again and contributed 11 points of his own to ensured Italy’s cruised to their fourth win after five games of VNL action.

Milad Ebadipour was firing again for Iran and came up with 11 total points, yet the team was unable to conjure another positive result to follow on from its previous victory over host nation Argentina.

There was a whole different level of energy about Italy as the fourth-ranked team in the world was clearly on a mission to show they can be a serious threat in the competition and the intensity was too much for their opponents to handle.

The opening set was tight and tense but the Italians seemed to relish the struggle. Juantorena’s elbow problems from earlier in the tournament seemed to be behind him as he led the way early, combining fierce offense with fine court-positioning to open up a small gap.

Iran, ranked eight, fought hard and when Ali Shafiei blocked Juantorena to make it 23-24 it looked as they might sneak out of trouble. However, a Seyed Eraghi fault on set point let Italy off the hook, and set the tone for the rest of the match.

Momentum was now firmly in the Italian camp and Gianlorenzo Blengini’s side was suddenly full of confidence, and unafraid to show off its swagger. Luigi Randazzo produced one of the serves of the tournament with a swirling, dipping effort for an ace to make it 20-14 and Simone Anzani followed up an imposing block at the net with a scream of delight to send Italy on its way.

Iran was suffering, and though Igor Kolakovic called a clever challenge with no timeouts left to give his squad a breather, it ultimately made little difference as his team slumped to a seven-point reversal After winning its last six five-setters in a row Iran would have liked its chances in a decider, but getting to that point was always going to be a major obstacle. Italy’s repeated its habit of making solid starts to each set, and while Ebadipour put up a fight and got things close at 16-14 with an ace, the all-round game of the European side was the telling difference.

Zaytsev is near-impossible to stop when he is in full flow and his huge smash to establish a late four-point lead seemed to knock the last bit of fight out of Iran. Libero Massimo Colaci finished things off on the final point and just like that, all seemed well in the Italian camp once more. Blengini’s team will cap things off in San Juan by taking on Argentina, while Iran will meet Canada in their final encounter of the round.

Italy’s win took them to 11 points and fifth place in the VNL table - and well in contention for a finals slot as things stand. Iran’s tally of five points is good enough for 11th place after five matches.

Three big blocks on Zaytsev but it isn’t matter, as Italy held onto its advantage and was enjoying the struggle. Juantorena feeling better Ali Shafiei blocks Juantorena tp save set point and make it 24-23 Italy Sayed raghi fault let them off the hook

Randazzo with a stunning service ace made it 20-14 Anzani block from Shafeiei 21-14 Iran all at sea, called a challenge to get a breather at 23-16 down Clever tip to make it 2-0 Giannelli playing with flair, quick thinking turned it over the net instead of going for the set

Tried to stick around and Ebadipour with a big ace to narrow to 16-14 Double touch from libber at 21-17 #24 Zaytsev for 22-18 big smash Colaci finished it off

Milad Ebadipour’s stunning attacking display helped Iran secure a nail-biting 3-2 victory (21-25, 25-22, 25-22, 24-26, 15-9) over Argentina in the Volleyball Nations League on Friday.

Ebadipour was the focus of his team’s offense and his consistent power proved crucial as host Argentina put up a stirring fight but was unable to capitalize on home court advantage and narrowly failed to grab their first VNL win.

The combination of Ebadipour (16 attacking points) and Amir Ghafour, who collected 10 winners, was critical as Iran piled on the pressure in the decisive fifth set to show nerves of steel once more. Head coach Igor Kolakovic’s team have now won their last six five-setters and were grateful for this, their second triumph of the tournament.

Argentina’s firepower came from the skillful strikes of Facundo Conte, who was instrumental in putting his side off to a strong start, then later spearheading a spirited fightback to pull things level. Ultimately, however, the home squad was left to rue a high error count that saw them rack up 40 mistakes over the course of the contest.

When the San Juan crowd shared their team’s disappointment at the eventual outcome, they were quick to pay tribute to Argentina’s effort, showering the players with a rousing standing ovation at the end of the game.

If not for a few key moments, things might have turned out differently. Argentina came out full of positive intent and rode the fine play of Cristian Poglajen to a first set victory, in which Poglajen got on the board five times before Agustin Loser clinched the frame with an imposing block on set point.

Iran had no intention of going away quietly and with Kolakevic demanding improvement, tightened up their game in impressive fashion. An inspired run of serving from Ebadipour was key in both opening up a late advantage and quieting the crowd, giving the visitors a lead they would not surrender.

Supported ably by the persistent efforts of Mojtaba Mirzajanpour and Seyed Mohammad Mousavi Eraghi, Ebadipour continued his streak of form in the third. After Italy started strongly and moved ahead through Conte and Bruno Lima’s attacking prowess, Iran chipped away at the deficit and saved their best play for the end. Two huge spikes from Ghafour secured set point, and Ebadipour blow to win the set was even more emphatic.

Argentina was not finished yet, and when Iran captain Saeid Marouf became frustrated as a couple of disputed decisions went the other way, the hosts opened up a five-point gap. Iran ground away and eventually came close to finishing the clash in four sets, before Sebastian Sole and Martin Ramos held firm when it mattered.

But Iran are the masters of five-set play and show exactly why in the decider. With relentless consistency and flawless sideouts, Iran got to the change of ends at 8-6 and never looked back from there. Appropriately, Ebadipour and Ghafour were the biggest contributors once more, before Farhad Salafzoon made the most of an Argentina error to seal the win.

Argentina’s schedule does not get any easier with in-from Canada next up, while Iran faces Italy on Saturday.

Source: https://www.volleyball.world/en/news/zaytsev-power-surge-sparks-italy-revival?id=75457