Novara seek to end Conegliano dominance in Italy

Led by a wealth of international stars who enjoyed phenomenal seasons with their national teams in 2021 at the Volleyball Nations League, the Tokyo Olympics and the Continental Championships, Igor Gorgonzola Novara are looking to put an end to the four-year dominance of Imoco Volley Conegliano when the Lega Pallavolo Serie A Femminile starts its 2021-22 edition.

In order to retake the throne they held in 2017, however, Novara will need to stop the incredible winning streak of Conegliano, who beat them in the Playoffs final series of Italy's top women's league in the past three seasons.

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The two rivals get the season going on October 2, when they clash in the Italian Supercup, ahead of the start of the League a week later.

Poland opposite Malwina Smarzek is out, after moving to Russia's Lokomotiv Kaliningrad, but she is replaced by Rosamaria Montibeller who transferred to Novara from VBC Epiu Casalmaggiore after a brilliant national team season in which she was pivotal in Brazil's silver medals at the VNL and the Olympics.

And Ebrar Karakurt, who ventures outside Turkey for the first time in her career this season will also be strengthening Novara in the opposite position.

Otherwise, the stalwarts that kept Novara in the race for the Italian title until the very last moment last season are set to lead the side again this year.

This includes Britt Herbots who had a sensational run with Belgium at the VNL - though it remains to be seen how she will recover from an injury that forced her to withdraw during the European Championship.

USA's Tokyo Olympic gold medallist and three-time VNL champion Micha Hancock will be distributing the play again.

Hancock will be playing alongside fellow-American Haleigh Washington (also on the gold medal winning Olympic squad and herself a two-time VNL champion) who will be guarding the middle together with newly-crowned European champion with Italy Cristina Chirichella.

Nika Daalderop also continues this season with Novara after helping the Netherlands to 4th place in the 2021 European Championship.

She is complemented on the outside by experienced Italian Caterina Bosetti - but she too needs to recover from an injury that kept her from competing at the 2021 European Championship.

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