Chieri to entertain Imoco in weekend’s Lega highlight

After a short break prompted by the Coppa Italia A1 Frecciarossa tournament last week, Italy’s Lega Pallavolo Serie A1 Femminile returns to action this weekend with the seven fixtures of the regular season’s 17th round. In the most anticipated match, Reale Mutua Fenera Chieri will host current leaders and last week’s cup winners Prosecco Doc Imoco Conegliano to wrap up the weekend on Sunday evening.

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Ahead of the important and difficult clash with the reigning Italian and club world champions, Chieri are on a five-game winning streak in the league. Last week they lost their Coppa Italia quarterfinal and that brought to an end a nine-game victory run across all competitions. They are fifth in the current LVF standings on a 12-4 win-loss record and 35 points. Belgian opposite Kaja Grobelna, French outside hitter Helena Cazaute and their teammates will also rely on inspiration from the home crowd in Chieri to tackle Imoco’s star-studded squad, who have not lost a single match since early December and are riding the wave of 16 consecutive wins across all competitions.

With one of the best strikers in the world, Swedish opposite Isabelle Haak, in the line-up, the team from Conegliano will try to extend their series and consolidate their leading position at the top of the table, where they stand on a 15-1 win-loss record and 44 points. Since 2018, when Chieri earned their A1 promotion, the two clubs have met a total of nine times and Imoco have never conceded more than a set.

The game in Chieri will be the last match on Sunday’s programme. It will start at 19:30 local time (18:30 UTC)

The last match on Saturday’s programme will also offer an exciting clash between teams among the top six in the table. Starting at 20:30 (19:30), sixth-placed Trasportipesanti Casalmaggiore entertain second-placed Savino Del Bene Scandicci at the Pala Radi in Cremona. Both teams lost their cup quarterfinals last week and will be eager to bounce back with a league win this weekend.

One of the season’s best scorers so far, American outside Alexandra Frantti will try to lead the home team to their 10th win and bring them closer to the fifth place and farther from the seventh in the standings. Casalmaggiore have a 9-7 win-loss record and 28 points. Scandicci, on the other hand, will rely on experienced Chinese star Zhu Ting and Russian teen prodigy Ekaterina Antropova to power the team towards their 13th victory and a firmer grip on the second place, where they stand on 39 points. Scandicci lead the head-to-head series by 12 wins to nine, but Casalmaggiore have won only one of their 10 most recent meetings.

Third-placed Igor Gorgonzola Novara (13-3, 36 points) will host eighth-placed e-work Busto Arsizio (7-9, 21) on Saturday in the role of favourites. Turkish opposite Ebrar Karakurt, the league’s best scorer, best attacker and best server so far, and the league’s best receiver, libero Eleonora Fersino will show the way. Busto Arsizio’s leading point-maker, Brazilian outside Rosamaria Montibeller will hope to engage in an exciting scoring race with Karakurt. Novara beat Busto Arsizio the last three times they met.

The action-packed weekend will get underway on Saturday at 18:00 (17:00) with fourth-placed Vero Volley Milano (12-4, 36) entertaining 12th-placed Bartoccini-Fortinfissi Perugia (3-13, 9) at Arena Di Monza.

Three games will also start on Sunday at 17:00 (16:00). Volley Bergamo 1991 (seventh on 7-9 and 23) will travel to Cuneo Granda S.Bernardo (11th on 6-10 and 16). Il Bisonte Firenze (ninth on 6-10 and 18) will welcome bottom-of-the-table CBF Balducci HR Macerata (2-14, 7), while Wash4Green Pinerolo (13th, also on 2-14 and 7) visit Megabox Ondulati Del Savio Vallefoglia (10th on 6-10 and 17).

This weekend’s Lega Pallavolo Serie A1 Femminile schedule:

Feb 4, 18:00 local time (17:00 UTC): Vero Volley Milano v Bartoccini-Fortinfissi Perugia

Feb 4, 19:30 local time (18:30 UTC): Igor Gorgonzola Novara v e-work Busto Arsizio

Feb 4, 20:30 local time (19:30 UTC): Trasportipesanti Casalmaggiore v Savino Del Bene Scandicci

Feb 5, 17:00 local time (16:00 UTC): Cuneo Granda S.Bernardo v Volley Bergamo 1991

Feb 5, 17:00 local time (16:00 UTC): Megabox Ondulati Del Savio Vallefoglia v Wash4Green Pinerolo

Feb 5, 17:00 local time (16:00 UTC): Il Bisonte Firenze v CBF Balducci HR Macerata

Feb 5, 19:30 local time (18:30 UTC): Reale Mutua Fenera Chieri v Prosecco Doc Imoco Conegliano

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