Pushed by a sold-out crowd of 4,000, Igor Gorgonzola Novara prevailed in the direct battle against Numia Vero Volley Milano in the third leg of the second round of the 2024-2025 Lega Volley Femminile Serie A1 Tigotà and solidified their spot in the Italian League Top Three.

With the victory in the five-set duel held at the Pala Igor on Sunday, the team from Novara was able to defend the third place in the standings, getting to 35 points (13 wins, three loses) and now holds a three-point lead over Milano, who have 32 (11 wins, four losses) and one game in hand.

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The match that completed the third leg of the second round was easily the most anticipated of the weekend in Italy and it certainly lived up to the expectations as Novara needed five sets and over two hours to claim a dramatic 3-2 (19-25, 25-14, 25-23, 23-25, 15-12) victory and delight their home fans.

One of the team’s signings for the 2024-2025 season, Russian opposite Tatiana Tolok rose to the occasion, delivering a team-high 26 points (24 kills, one block, one ace) and taking home the match MVP award. German outside hitter Lina Alsmeier and Serbian middle blocker Maja Aleksić added 13 points each.

“I’m happier for our team performance than for the actual result,” said middle blocker Sara Bonifacio. “It was an incredible atmosphere at the Pala Igor and a fantastic match and I thought things went perfectly for us. It was really important for us to test ourselves against a top team and show again that we started the second round of the season very well.”

Olympic champion opposite Paola Egonu led Milano with 28 points (22 kills, four blocks, two aces) and was the match’s top scorer. Outside hitters Nika Daalderop and Miriam Sylla contributed 15 and 14 points, respectively.

“This match was the first in a difficult and intense moment of the season for us and even though we didn’t win it, we showed we’ll fight for every point,” Belgian middle blocker Laura Heyrman reflected. “I felt that we didn’t respond well when Novara put pressure on us and that’s something we need to improve. I’m confident this series of matches we have ahead of us will help us find the balance we’ve been lacking.”

Conegliano win 15^th match in a row

Also on Sunday, defending champions Prosecco Doc Imoco Conegliano continued their perfect campaign in the Lega Femminile, securing their 15^th-straight victory to get to 45 points with a 3-1 (19-25, 25-12, 25-22, 26-24) win over SMI Roma Volley.

The reigning world champions rested several starters and found their rhythm after an unexpected first-set upset to take the win. American outside hitter Khalia Lanier, with 17 points, opposite Merit Adigwe, with 16, and veteran middle blocker Cristina Chirichella, with 15, led the team.

Second-placed Savino Del Bene Scandicci followed the same path, securing a 3-1 (30-28, 25-22, 24-26, 25-22) road win over Bartoccini-MC Restauri Perugia on Saturday without some key starters. Opposite Ekaterina Antropova stood out with a match-high 32 points and an impressive seven aces.

Two other matches ended in four sets on Sunday, with Reale Mutua Fenera Chieri ’76 beating Il Bisonte Firenze 3-1 (25-22, 23-25, 25-20, 25-20) on the road and Eurotek Uyba Busto Arsizio downing Megabox Ondulati Savio Vallefoglia 3-1 (25-11, 17-25, 25-16, 29-27) at home.

Lega Volley Femmnilie – Match Schedule & Results

The only sweeps of the weekend had Bergamo overcoming Cda Volley Talmassons Fvg 3-0 (25-21, 25-20, 25-15) on the road and Honda Olivero Cuneo defeating Wash4Green Pinerolo 3-0 (25-12, 26-24, 25-19) in front of their home fans on Sunday.

Next weekend, two matches will be held on Saturday and the remaining five on Sunday.

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