Volley Coppa Italia, the Final Four at the Unipon Arena is underway

Bologna caput volley. Two weeks after the men's, the women's Coppa Italia will also choose the best Italian team of the moment in the context of the Unipol Arena in Casalecchio di Reno, where the semifinals will be played on Saturday 8th and the final of the Frecciarossa trophy on Sunday 9th, preceded by the A2 series final. With one not insignificant difference: the girls arrive at the final four with many Olimpia champions divided into the various teams (8 out of 13 Italians present in Paris), and this generates a long wave of enthusiasm that translates into a practically confirmed sell-out (less than a hundred tickets are left for the final and about 150 for the semifinal, tickets can be purchased on Vivaticket).

The event organized by Lega Volley Femminil and Master Group Sport had a preview in the town hall of the Emilian capital, with captains and coaches of the four semifinalists present.

The program. On Saturday 8th February the first semifinal at 15.30 pm will pit Prosecco Doc Imoco Conegliano against Igor Gorgonzola Novara, at 18 pm Savino Del Bene Scandicci against Numia Vero Volley Milano (live on Rai Sport and Vbtv). Sunday 9th at 12 pm the A2 final between Omag-MT San Giovanni in Marignano and Itas Trentino, at 15.20 pm on RaiDue the final of the A1 cup. The memory. Sunday morning before the finals at the Pala Jessie Owens in Calderino, which on Saturday will host a stage by coach Julio Velasco with athletes from the A2 series, the Pink Gen-S3 tournament will also be held, in the White and Green categories, dedicated to Elisabetta Velabri, president of Pallavolo Bologna who recently passed away. It will also be an opportunity to remember Simonetta Avalle, one of the first female coaches in the history of A1 volleyball, who left us a few days ago. At Palazzo d'Accursio it was Roberta Li Calzi, Councilor for Sport of the Municipality of Bologna, to introduce the event: "Bologna returns to the forefront by hosting the women's volleyball Italian Cup finals at the Unipol Arena in Casalecchio di Reno, after the men's finals that were held at the end of January. We are proud to give our city another great sporting spectacle". Alongside him Enzo Barbaro, General Manager of the Lega Pallavolo Serie A Femminile, added: "We are lucky to have the strongest players in the world in Italy, who every year choose to compete in our championship, which remains the most beautiful in the world. Sold outs do not happen by chance, thanks also to the fans and a special mention for San Giovanni in Marignano, which alone will move about a thousand people. A mention also for the new trophy, built exclusively for us and which we are happy to be able to present here for the first time, after having already done so on the occasion of the Super Cup and waiting to reveal the one for Campione d'Italia". Anthony Santa Maria, General Manager of Master Group Sport, thanked “the Municipality of Bologna, the Emilia-Romagna Region and FIPAV, as well as the Bologna Welcome structure for their continued support. Thanks to the great teamwork of all the parties involved, we will have two days of great entertainment, on the field and in the stands, with very few tickets still available”. The combination with the sponsor Frecciarossa provides discounts of up to 75% for those who travel by train to get to Bologna. The protagonists. The best of our women's volleyball will be on the field. Daniele Santarelli, coach of Prosecco Doc Imoco Conegliano: "After the Club World Championship, a physiological decline, many matches with the clubs and many also in the summer with the national teams. Now we are playing for the third trophy of the season, an important competition in which we are arriving at a good moment. These two semifinals will be very hard-fought, after a first part of the season with a few defections, now all the rosters are complete. It will be wonderful to play in a setting like the Unipol Arena which will be packed with fans". His captain Joanna Wolosz after the last final she went to see a concert of David Gilmour. “I haven’t seen if there is anything in Bologna, now I’ll look _ she joked _, it was easy to integrate this year with the new arrivals and it surprised me a bit. Even if we don’t always play at our best, we managed to find our rhythm very quickly. We have a lot of fun both training and playing and we are lucky to have international level players like Gabi and Zhu, who have adapted perfectly right away. We have many goals and to pursue them we must always give 100% every day". Lorenzo Bernardi, coach of Igor Gorgonzola Novara: "Even when I played, the Coppa Italia Finals were always the most beautiful event for me. The strongest players almost always arrive, a concentrated event but with great participation. It is very gratifying to be here for the first time as coach of a women's team. Even though I have done many, it is always a great emotion".  Marco Gaspari, coach of Savino Del Bene Scandicci: "It's always nice to be here, this time I'll be on the other side of the net compared to previous years. Challenging the past is always exciting, but I have a team behind me that has always adapted to what I asked since I arrived. Milan has changed a lot since the beginning of the season, the best team will play, I asked to face the match with a clear idea and a lot of patience: we must know that our strengths are different and we will have to face it as if it were a one-off final". At the helm of Milan is Stefano Lavarini: "We had a somewhat difficult start to the season and perhaps for us the Club World Cup was the first time we could start working together consistently. We are growing and this event highlights different energies and motivations compared to other competitions. We have positive feelings, I think the team is ready to play: we want to improve on our respective past experiences in Bologna".