Cisterna di Latina, 25.01.2026 – Another full haul for Rana Verona, who won 3-0 away at Cisterna Volley in the eighteenth round of the season, climbing to 45 points in the standings and extending their lead over Itas Trentino. The Scaligeri took all three points, albeit with some difficulty, especially in the third set, where Coach Soli’s team had to come back before closing out the match. Darlan was rewarded after an 18-point performance, with 77% in attack. Mozic also did well (16 points with 74% and 2 blocks). Next Sunday, Cucine Lube Civitanova arrives at the Pala AGSM AIM.
In the starting line-up, Coach Soli confirmed the main diagonal composed of Christenson and Darlan, with Mozic and Keita on the wings and the Vitelli-Cortesia pair in the centre, with Staforini in the role of libero.
The match opens with Barotto’s diagonal, to which Vitelli responds promptly. Cisterna remains ahead, but Mozic blocks the local opposite for 4-4. Verona takes the lead and finds a two-point advantage with Vitelli’s block (6-9). The hosts came back on top, but Verona reversed the trend again thanks to Mozic’s pipe and Keita’s ace (12-13). The match remained balanced, with Darlan crossing into the three-metre zone for 14-15. The visitors found their rhythm and increased their lead with Keita’s parallel shot (16-19). Darlan played well with his opponents’ hands and kept his team three points ahead (20-23), with Mozic closing the set from the back row (22-25).
The second set opens with a long rally, ended by Darlan, but the start is hard-fought: with Bayram’s cross-court attack and Plak’s ace, the Pontini take a three-point lead (5-2). Verona rolls up its sleeves and recovers with the perfect understanding between Christenson and Keita and Mozic’s shots (8-9). The captain also scored with a pipe shot, Cortesia scored from position three and Verona took a two-point lead (11-13). Barotto came on strong with his serve and reversed the trend, but Verona remained focused and took the lead again with attacks from Mozic and Darlan (15-16). The captain also imposed himself at the net, then Vitelli also scored and the gap widened (17-21). The home side slumped and Verona doubled their lead (18-25).
Keita started the third set, but Cisterna fought back and Fanizza’s block temporarily levelled the score (4-4). It was blow for blow, with Vitelli first finding the winning corridor under the net, then scoring an ace (7-9). The Lazio side did not give up, with Tarumi serving well to take the lead again (10-9). Cisterna gained confidence and tried to pull away with Plak’s serve, who also scored an ace to make it 14-10. Darlan took the team on his shoulders and brought his side back to within one point with two superb attacks. The home side pulled away again and took an 18-15 lead with Bayram’s pipe. Verona recovered ground: Darlan’s block made it 20-19. The Brazilian levelled and took the lead at 21-22. The number 18 also scored to make it 22-24. Sani sealed the deal (23-25).
MATCH STATISTICS
Cisterna Volley-Rana Verona 0–3 (22-25; 18-25; 23-25)
Cisterna Volley: Fanizza 1, Barotto 13, Tarumi 9, Bayram 8, Mazzone 4, Plak 6, Currie (L), Salsi, Guzzo, Lanza, Muniz, Diamantini, Tosti, Finauri (L). Coach: Morato
Rana Verona: Christenson 4, Darlan 18, Mozic 16, Keita 9, Cortesia, Vitelli 8, Staforini (L), Planinsic, Gironi, Sani 1, Glatz, Nedeljkovic, Valbusa, Bonisoli (L). Coach: Soli
Referees: Canessa, Brancati, Gasparro
Video check official: Diana
Set duration: 27′; 25′; 29′; total: 1h21′
Attack: Cisterna Volley 44%; Rana Verona 66%
Reception: Cisterna Volley 45%; Rana Verona 46%
Blocks: Cisterna Volley 3; Rana Verona 7
Aces: Cisterna Volley 6; Rana Verona 3
MVP: Darlan Souza
Spectators: 1707
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