The 2024-2025 Lega Volley Femminile Serie A1 Tigotà playoffs continue this weekend and Sunday will be a busy and exciting day in the Italian postseason with the four second-round quarterfinal matches taking place during the afternoon and evening.

Prosecco Doc Imoco Conegliano, Numia Vero Volley Milano, Savino Del Bene Scandicci and Igor Gorgonzola Novara, who all won their first-round matches last weekend, will be on the road this time, but they have the opportunity of bringing their best-of-three series to an end with another victory.

• Watch the Lega Volley Femminile Serie A1 Tigotà playoffs live on VBTV

Scandicci, the only among the four to have dropped sets in the first round, will be the first to get on the court on Sunday, visiting Eurotek Uyba Busto Arsizio at the E-Work Arena at 15:30 local time (14:30 GMT).

The third-best team in the regular season, Scandicci will continue to rely on Olympic champion opposite Ekaterina Antropova, the top scorer of the Italian League this season, who tallied 27 points in the team’s 3-1 victory last Sunday.

Busto, who need to win or will see their season come to an end, have already defeated Scandicci during the regular season and they believe they can do it again in front of their home fans. In order to do that, however, they will need more from outside hitter Rebecca Piva and opposite Josephina Obossa, their leading scorers, who combined for just 15 points in their first playoff match.

"The first match showed that Scandicci are in excellent form and that if we can't make them uncomfortable, it will be very difficult to beat them," Busto's middle blocker Benedetta Sartori said. "Last Sunday, when we got to play in an organized way we were able to challenge them and win a set. The second match will be very difficult, but with the support of our fans and the right attitude, we can get what we need."

Milano, the second-best team in the regular season, will play next. After getting a sweep over seventh-placed Megabox Ondulati Savio Vallefoglia in their first encounter last weekend, the 2024 FIVB Women’s Club World Championship bronze medalists have a chance to claim the victory in the series at 16:30 (15:30 GMT), at the Vitrifrigo Arena.

Olympic champion opposite Paola Egonu started the playoffs in great form for Milano, leading the team with 17 points last weekend, and will be arguably even more important for them as the team goes on the road.

"The goal is to build from the first match, when we had a very good performance," Milano's head coach Stefano Lavarini reflected. "They're a very determined team that fights for every ball, and, playing at home, they will give everything they have. We saw in the regular season that if we lose focus against them we'll have problems, so the goal is to keep the level of play high the entire time."

Vallefoglia, on the other hand, will hope most of their production comes from the outside hitter spot, where American Simone Lee had a solid display on match one, registering 11 points, but Olympic champion Gaia Giovannini will need to contribute more than two points.

Lega Volley Femmnilie – Match Schedule & Results

Conegliano go for 28^th victory

The third match of the day, scheduled for 17:00 (16:00 GMT), will have regular season winners Conegliano going against eighth-placed Bergamo at the Choruslife Arena. The Panthers, who will try to continue their undefeated campaign and secure their 28^th straight Italian League victory, triumphed in the first match 3-0 despite not using some key starters.

Isabelle Haak was Conegliano’s main scorer last weekend, delivering 18 points, and the reigning world champions can still turn to star outside hitters Gabriela ‘Gabi’ Guimarães and Zhu Ting if they need more firepower.

"Our goal is to end the series on Sunday, but we are aware this is a dangerous match," Conegliano's head coach Daniele Santarelli analyzed. "We'll play in their new stadium and fans will certainly be excited to push the team. Each playoff match is different and we'll need to keep our focus elevated because a best-of-three series doesn't allow for errors. They will try to pus us in difficult spots and we need to be ready to answer."

Determined to accomplish the task of handing Conegliano their first victory in the season, Bergamo couldn’t use their leading scorer, outside hitter Ailama Cesé, last weekend. If the Cuban is back this weekend, the traditional Italian team will be better equipped to compete against the top team in the country.

Ranked fourth in the regular season, Novara had a strong performance in their opening match in the playoffs, handling fifth-placed Reale Mutua Fenera Chieri ’76 in straight sets in what many expected to be the most unpredictable quarterfinal duel. The teams will meet at the Palafenera in the last match of the day, scheduled to start at 18:00 (17:00 GMT).

American opposite Taylor Mims was unstoppable in last weekend’s match, leading the team with 19 points. Japanese star outside hitter Mayu Ishikawa is another key cog for the team – she produced 15 points in the first encounter.

“We just returned home after getting a big win over a tough opponent (Türkiye’s THY) that took us to the CEV Cup final and that performance puts us in great spirit for this match,” middle blocker Federica Squarcini reflected. “We’re sure the home fans will push Chieri a lot and, considering that and their quality, we need to be ready for a difficult match. We’re determined to deliver another strong performance and move forward in the playoffs.”

In order to start turning things around, Chieri will count on the firepower of American Olympic medalist outside hitter Avery Skinner and French Olympian opposite Lucille Gicquel.

If necessary, the third and final matches for the quarterfinal series will be held next Wednesday, March 19.

Quick links:
Lega Volley Femminile Serie A1 Tigotà
VBTV
Volleyball World Facebook
Volleyball World X
Volleyball World Instagram
Volleyball World YouTube
Subscribe to Volleyball World's Newsletter