Big matches at all levels coming up in Italy this weekend

The first of the three legs to go to the end of the regular season in Lega Pallavolo Serie A1 Femminile will take place this weekend in Italy, offering important matches that could prove crucial at all levels of the standings: the race for Champions League quota, the race for the playoff spots and the race for survival in Serie A1.

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The weekend will start with a game between Cuneo Granda S.Bernardo and Savino Del Bene Scandicci on Saturday at 20:30 local time (19:30 UTC). Already safe from relegation, Cuneo still have a decent chance at making the playoffs. Currently 10th in the table, they are five points below the cut-off line. Meanwhile Savino Del Bene have a long shot at the first place, but their second place is under threat as they are only four points above third-placed Vero Volley Milan. The two teams have met nine times so far. Cuneo won the first four encounters from 2018 to 2020, but Savino Del Bene won the next five, including the straight-set home win during the first half of the ongoing regular season with Chinese star Zhu Ting leading the scorers. The players from Scandicci will also enter the match inspired by their advancement to the CEV Cup final earlier this week.

Sunday’s schedule will open with four matches starting at 17:00 local (15:00 UTC). One of them will be a direct clash between fourth-placed Igor Gorgonzola Novara and third-placed Vero Volley. While the seven-point gap between these two teams may seem insurmountable, the visitors from Milan will be keen on trying to catch up with Savino Del Bene, while the home side will be eager to stay ahead of Reale Mutua Fenera Chieri in the race for the fourth place, as both teams are currently on equal points. Igor will be in a better mood after advancing to the Champions League semifinals, as opposed to Vero Volley, who failed to do so this week. The club from Novara also leads the head-to-head by 11-8. Most recently, in November, Igor pulled off a hard-fought five-set win in Milan with a 28-point contribution from Generation O Turkish star Ebrar Karakurt.

At the same time, the squad from Chieri, who triumphed in the CEV Challenge Cup this week, will visit Volley Bergamo 1991, a team that has yet to secure their ticket to the quarterfinals. They stand seventh, but only five points above ninth-placed Il Bisonte Florence. As Florence will be visited by reigning club world champions, defending Italian champions and table leaders Prosecco Doc Imoco Conegliano on Sunday, a victory over Reale Mutua Fenera could possibly book Bergamo’s berth in the top eight.

Quite important in the battle for the last three playoff vacancies will be the fourth game in that time slot on Sunday. Upon their trip to e-work Busto Arsizio, sixth-placed Trasportipesanti Casalmaggiore would reserve their place among the quarterfinalists with a win by any score. It would also put in danger the home team’s eighth place, so they would be desperate to add points to their record as they are only two away from the cut-off line.

“I can't wait to play against Busto who have had an excellent second part of the championship and who will be a difficult team to face on the court. We have to give our best, win and take care of our condition to be able to maintain sixth place,” said Trasportipesanti’s American setter Lauren Carlini. “In my opinion, we are ready to face the high-ranked teams that will be waiting for us in the playoffs. As we know, if we play well, anything can happen in the playoffs.”

In the later hours of Sunday, the struggle for survival in the top division of Italian volleyball will be in focus. Starting at 19:30 local (17:30 UTC), a direct face-to-face duel between the bottom two teams in the table will unfold as 13th-placed Wash4Green Pinerolo entertain 14th-placed CBF Balducci HR Macerata, trying to widen the gap of four points between them and, most importantly, tackle the two-point distance to 12th-placed Bartoccini-Fortinfissi Perugia, who will welcome 11th-placed Megabox Ondulati Del Savio Vallefoglia at 21:00 local (19:00 UTC). While Megabox are safe from relegation and even still with a mathematical shot at the playoffs as they are six points below the eighth place, two of the other three teams will eventually have to say good-bye to Serie A1 for next season.

Lega Pallavolo Serie A1 Femminile’s 24th leg schedule:

Mar 25, 20:30 local (19:30 UTC): Cuneo Granda S.Bernardo v Savino Del Bene Scandicci

Mar 26, 17:00 local (15:00 UTC): Il Bisonte Florence v Prosecco Doc Imoco Conegliano

Mar 26, 17:00 local (15:00 UTC): Igor Gorgonzola Novara v Vero Volley Milan

Mar 26, 17:00 local (15:00 UTC): Volley Bergamo 1991 v Reale Mutua Fenera Chieri

Mar 26, 17:00 local (15:00 UTC): e-work Busto Arsizio v Trasportipesanti Casalmaggiore

Mar 26, 19:30 local (17:30 UTC): Wash4Green Pinerolo v CBF Balducci HR Macerata

Mar 26, 21:00 local (19:00 UTC): Bartoccini-Fortinfissi Perugia v Megabox Ondulati Del Savio Vallefoglia

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