Modena, Italy, September 29, 2014 - Nearly 50 years of top class tradition, two teams (one male, Modena Volley, and one female, Liu-Jo) in the Italian Superleague, 35 national titles combined, and almost 20 international cups. The quote from ancient Latin used to define the bond between Modena and volleyball is “Caput Volley”, the cradle of volley, as Rome was called “Caput Mundi” (the cradle of the World) even before Julius Caesar. The city of Modena, venue for the second round of the FIVB Volleyball Women’s World Championship Italy 2014, has always been seen as a sacred land by volleyball fans around the World.
Modena is also known for being a cradle of champions: the Italian “generation of phenomenons” that won three consecutive Men’s World Championships in the 1990s was born here, inside the legendary “Palasport Giuseppe Panini”, or PalaPanini for the locals. Icons of volleyball like Fabio Vullo, Luca Cantagalli and “Mr. Century” Lorenzo Bernardi gathered here around Argentinian coach Julio Velasco in the late 1980s to start their brilliant careers; and international superstars such as Andrea Giani, Bas Van de Goor, Roman Iakovlev, Mauricio Lima, Ricardo, Murilo and Vigor Bovolenta followed in the next three decades. Female volleyball legends Paula Jo Weishoff, Jenny Lang Ping, Keba Phipps, Gabriela Perez del Solàr and Manuela Leggeri, some of the best ever seen under the net, complete the local Hall of Fame.
The PalaPanini – 5,211 seats packed around the court in a huge architectural sounding board – is said to “win a set by itself” in each home match for the local team, with its intense atmosphere and passionate audience. Turkey’s head coach Massimo Barbolini will have the home court advantage in FIVB Women’s World Championship phase 2, as he was born and raised in Modena and started his brilliant career as Julio Velasco’s assistant coach right here.
Eight matches will be played in Modena, with the following time schedule (GMT +1 time):
October 1, 2014
H 17.00 Turkey – USA
H 20.00 Bulgaria – Russia
October 2, 2014
H 17.00 Turkey – Russia
H 20.00 Bulgaria – USA
October 4, 2014
H 17.00 Turkey – Netherlands
H 20.00 Bulgaria – Kazakhstan
October 5, 2014
H 17.00 Turkey – Kazakhstan
H 20.00 Bulgaria – Netherlands