Monza win tenth-straight match and take the lead in Italy

Strong displays from outside hitter Alessia Gennari and middle blocker Katerina Zakchaiou propelled Vero Volley Monza to the top spot in the Italian women’s league after the team defeated Delta Despar Trentino in straight sets (25-20, 25-18, 25-19) in the tournament’s only match on Tuesday.

Undefeated in their last ten matches, Monza are only just ahead of their rivals at the top of the standings with 37 points (12 wins, three losses). Defending champions Prosecco Doc Imoco Volley Conegliano have 34 points (12 wins, one loss), but two matches more to play before the end of the regular season.

With Monza returning to the court just 50 hours after their weekend victory over Volley Bergamo, head coach Marco Gaspari rotated the lineup, keeping team captain Anna Danesi and Belgian opposite Lise van Hecke on the bench. An Italian national team outside hitter, Gennari carried the team’s scoring load, producing a match-high 15 points with 14 kills and one block.

• All matches of the Italian men's and women's leagues are available to watch live or on demand on Volleyball TV.

Poland’s star opposite Magdalena Stysiak, Belarus’ outside hitter Hanna Davyskiba and Cyprus’ middle blocker Zakchaiou all registered nine points. The 23-year-old Zakchaiou received the Most Valuable Player award for the match.

“I just tried to play my best, like everyone else,” said Zakchaiou after the match. “We pushed from the start as winning this match was very important for us. We took all three points and it feels like we passed the test. We have some very difficult matches ahead of us now and will need to continue giving our best in order to secure positive results.”

Trentino’s top performers in the match were their outside hitters, Spanish player Jessica Rivero, who tallied 13 points (all in kills), and Argentinean Yamila ‘Yas’ Nizetich, who added eight.

Monza were supposed to return to the court on Saturday, against Igor Gorgonzola Novara, but the match has been postponed. With that, the team will have 11 days to prepare for their key match against Conegliano on February 6. Trentino, however, will play on Saturday as they go on the road against Savino Del Bene Scandicci.

Get all the details of the competition here.