With Vero Volley Monza, Igor Gorgonzola Novara and Prosecco Doc Imoco Volley Conegliano well-established as the top three teams in the Lega Pallavolo vivo Serie A1 Femminile, the focus of this weekend’s round, the tenth of 13 scheduled for the second leg of the season, switches to the battle to avoid relegation.

Currently, six teams are threatened by the possibility of competing in the Italian League’s second division next season. One of them, Volley Bergamo, could take another important step forward to avoid relegation on Sunday, at 19.30 local time, when they play Reale Mutua Fenera Chieri on the road in the last match of the weekend.

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Bergamo were at the bottom of the standings until as recently as last weekend, but back-to-back victories and five points have moved the team up to 11th-place, with 18 points (six wins, 15 losses). They are now two ahead of 13th-placed Acqua & Sapone Roma Volley and 14th-placed Delta Despar Trentino and would love to see that point difference continue to increase at the end of the weekend.

The winners of eight editions of the Italian League, Bergamo have won consecutive matches for just the second time in the season this week despite nearly allowing a two-set advantage slip away in their five-set, mid-week triumph against Il Bisonte Firenze. The visitors had a match point at 14-13, but Bergamo recovered to win three points in a row and secure a key home victory.

“I hope we learn from this experience and understand we need to be ready the entire time,” said 19-year-old outside hitter Emma Cagnin, who received the match’s MVP award. “We need to be the team that we were in the last five points of the match, we need to be ready to fight and recover the points we lost earlier in the season.”

American opposite Khalia Lanier has been an important asset for Bergamo this season. With the club since 2020-2021, the 23-year-old scored 51 points over the last two matches and is now at 376, ranking fourth in the season.

Chieri, on the other hand, had a week of ups and downs with a 3-1 loss to Firenze on Sunday following a four-set victory against Bartoccini Fortinfissi Perugia on Wednesday. Currently ranked sixth with 33 points (11 wins, ten losses), the team are in a safe position regarding playoff qualification, but could use another triumph to make a run for the fifth place.

When the teams met in the first leg of the regular season, back in December, Chieri won 3-1 on the road.

Most of Bergamo’s rivals in the fight to avoid relegation will have tough matchups over the weekend, starting with Roma, who go on the road against fourth-placed Savino Del Bene Scandicci on Saturday. Trentino will have no easier life on Sunday, when they visit fifth-placed Unet E-Work Busto Arsizio.

Also on Sunday, 12th-placed Perugia (17 points) meet third-placed Conegliano, tenth-placed VBC Trasporti Pesanti Casalmaggiore (19 points) challenge eighth-place Bosca S. Bernardo Cuneo and ninth-placed Megabox Ondulati Del Savio Vallefoglia (19 points) host second-placed Novara.

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