Perugia saw off Santorini Sunbirds 3-0 in a club friendly match on Thursday evening. The Italian side played at home, closing out a straightforward victory that gave them something to build on ahead of the new campaign. It was a clean sweep, and by then the result felt inevitable given where both sides have been lately.
Three sets, no drama. The hosts took control early and didn't look back, which is how these friendlies should go when you're trying to test shape without worrying about the scoreline. To be fair, they deserved the margin — Santorini had nothing to do all evening and couldn't find a rhythm.
Perugia arrive in decent form, having won their last five matches without a loss. Three of those were 3-0 shutouts, including victories over Zawierniec and Projekt Warsaw. They've been consistent, and consistency is what matters in these build-up periods.
Santorini's run has been harder to piece together. They lost 3-0 to Osaka Bluteon on their most recent outing, after a 3-1 win over Nagoya and a 3-1 victory against the same Japanese side earlier in the month. The pattern suggests they're still finding their feet, and this result won't have helped.
The scoreline tells the story. Perugia worked the channels effectively, while the visitors simply couldn't string sets together. It's not a statement of intent, but it's a positive sign for the hosts as they look toward the season ahead.
