CEV Men: Sir Sicoma Perugia wins the first leg of the quarterfinals against Vero Volley Monza.

Sir Sicoma Monini Perugia takes home a precious comeback victory in the first leg of the Italian derby of the CEV quarterfinals against Vero Volley Monza. After a subdued first set, the Italian champions react with character and close the match at 1-3.

 True Volley Monza-Sir Sicoma Monini Perugia 1-3 (25-19; 16-25; 17-25; 25-27)

In the first set, balance prevails, with both teams careful not to expose themselves too much. Monza, supported by the home crowd, grows in conviction and, thanks to an excellent game organization, takes off. Perugia struggles to find continuity, making several errors in service and reception. Plotnytskyi's error in service gives the first set to the home team with a clear 25-19.

In the second set, Lorenzetti's men change gear. Perugia becomes more incisive in attack and more careful in coverage. Monza feels the blow and struggles to keep up with the pace imposed by the Umbrians. Ishikawa's ace closes the set on 16-25, bringing the match back to a draw.

In the third set Perugia starts well and seems to take off, but Monza does not give up. The guests try to reopen the game with an ace by Rohrs, who with the help of the tape brings Monza to -1 (13-14). After a time-out, Lorenzetti's boys take to the field determined and with a partial of 4-11 close the set on  17-25.

In the fourth set, Monza tries to react to take the match to a tie-break. The home team starts strong, putting Sir in difficulty, but they recover until 12-12. Monza doesn't give up and takes the lead again (14-13). In the end, Monza wastes the set point, while Sir doesn't make a mistake. The Italian champions also win the fourth set with a partial score of 25-27.

With this victory, Perugia puts itself in a strong position ahead of the return match at Pala Barton, where it will have the chance to close the deal and access the Final Four scheduled for Lodz.