This weekend could very well be the most exciting yet in the  2025-2026 Lega Femminile Serie A1 Tigotà regular season, with not one, but two Derbies taking place in the country over the next couple of days.

Sunday will be the big day of the tenth leg of the second round of the regular season, with fifth-placed Igor Gorgonzola Novara hosting third-placed Numia Vero Volley Milano at 16:00 local time (15:00 UTC) and second-placed Savino Del Bene Scandicci and league leaders Prosecco Doc Imoco Conegliano clashing one hour later.

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Separated by four points in the standings, Conegliano, who have 60, and Scandicci, who have 56, cannot change positions after Sunday's match, but the outcome of their encounter could either get the Panthers creating a seven-point separation at the top of the standings or the world champions cutting their lead to a single point with three more matches to be played before the end of the regular season.

The match will also be the next chapter of what has been a growing rivalry in Italian and international club volleyball, which saw the two giants decide three major trophies in the last nine months, with Conegliano triumphing in the CEV Champions League and the Coppa Italia and Scandicci coming out on top in the FIVB Volleyball Women's Club World Championship.

"It's going to be a great game, involving two teams that deserve to occupy the top spots because of how well they've been playing," Conegliano's head coach Daniele Santarelli said. "Scandicci will certainly come in determined to get closer to us in the standings, but I think this match means more than just points, as the winners will send a strong message right before the start of the playoffs."

Both teams enter Sunday's encounter in great form. The home team, Scandicci, have not lost in domestic tournaments since November, when they fell to Conegliano, and enter Sunday's match on an 11-match winning streak in the tournament.

Conegliano, on the other hand, are undefeated in their last 12 matches across all competitions. They also have a significant advantage over Scandicci over the years, with 31 victories in 37 duels at the national level.

Novara aim for fourth place

The other Derby of the weekend has Novara, who are currently fifth in the standings with 46 points, looking to return to the top four so they can have homecourt advantage in the first round of the playoffs.

Third-placed Milano, who have 52 points, are currently outside their reach, but a victory at home could potentially get Novara past fourth-placed Reale Mutua Fenera Chieri '76, who have 48 points and host 11th-placed Honda Cuneo Granda Volley on Sunday at 17:00 (16:00 UTC).

For Milano, with the two teams ranked above them in the standings meeting, a victory in the Derby would mean that they would close the gap to at least one of them in the final stretch of the regular season.

Historically, Novara have the edge, having won the last five encounters between the teams and prevailing in 16 of the 26 duels in Italian volleyball so far.

"It's been a while since our last victory against Novara," Milano's opposite Vita Akimova said. "Sunday's match will be very important in terms of our spot in the standings, and we want to win to continue in a positive moment. We worked hard in our preparation for this match and are ready to fight for each point."

Fight against relegation on Saturday

The battle to avoid relegation will also be in the spotlight this weekend, and Saturday could be a decisive day, with the three teams most threatened by it getting on the court.

Undefeated in their last three matches, Omag-Mt San Giovanni In Marignano, who last week left the relegation zone and are now in 12th place with 20 points, have a great opportunity to take another step towards salvation, playing 14th-placed Bartoccini-Mc Restauri Perugia at home at 21:00 (20:00 UTC).

Winless in their last 13 matches, Perugia have only 12 points and are in a desperate situation. If they lose to San Giovanni and Cuneo win their match, their chances of continuing in the Italian elite will be eliminated.

The second team inside the qualification zone, Wash4green Monviso Volley, who are 13th, with 17 points, will also play on Saturday, going on the road against eighth-placed Bergamo at 19:00 (18:00 UTC).

Lega Volley Femminile - Match Schedule & Results

Two more matches will take place on Sunday, both starting at 17:00 (16:00 UTC) - seventh-placed Eurotek Laica UYBA Busto Arsizio face ninth-placed Il Bisonte Firenze and tenth-placed CBF Balducci HR Macerata play sixth-placed Megabox Ondulati Del Savio Vallefoglia.

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