Another season of the Lega Pallavolo Serie A Femminile is set begin on October 22 with 14 clubs battling for the Italian title.
Legavolley Femminile A1 - 2022
Look out for these international stars in the Lega Pallavolo Femminile
Some of the top players on the planet will be in action in the Italian League this season – follow all the action on Volleyball TV
Published 07:00, 21 Oct 2022
Chinese superstar Zhu Ting is one of the most exciting new players in the Italian League in 2022-2023
The Italian League is home to many of the top international players and the 2022-2023 season will be a perfect example of that, with many of the athletes who represented their national teams at the 2022 FIVB Volleyball Women’s World Championship in the Netherlands and Poland competing in the country this season.
For a second consecutive season, all Serie A matches will be available live and on demand on Volleyball TV. Here are some of the stars you’ll be able to follow.
Anastasia Guerra – Bartoccini-Fortinfissi Perugia
The 26-year-old outside hitter has been a part of the Italian national team since 2016 and will bring some much-needed experience to her younger teammates at Perugia. Guerra, who also played in the French and Chinese leagues, was on the Italian roster that won gold at the 2022 Volleyball Nations League and also helped her country take silver at the FIVB Volleyball World Grand Prix back in 2017. She’s in her second season with Perugia.
Polina Malik – Cbf Balducci Hr Macerata
The 23-year-old Israeli opposite is one of the few players on the roster of the newly-promoted club from Macerata with international experience. Before joining the team, in 2021, Malik played in her home country, Germany and Finland. She also represented Israel in Age Group and senior continental tournaments, helping the country take bronze in the European Silver League in 2019.
Lucille Gicquel – Cuneo Granda S.Bernardo
The 24-year-old opposite will probably be a key player for the French national team when they host the Paris Olympics in two years. Gicquel has enjoyed success at both the club and the international levels and has already won national titles in Italy and France, besides also triumphing in the CEV Champions League. Gicquel recently led the French national team to take gold at the European Golden League this season while earning the Most Valuable Player award and being the tournament’s top scorer.
Rosamaria Montibeller – E-Work Busto Arsizio
A Tokyo Olympic silver medallist, the 28-year-old Brazilian is set to play for her fourth different club in Italy in four seasons after wearing Perugia’s, Casalmaggiore’s and Novara’s jerseys. Capable of playing as an outside hitter or an opposite, Rosamaria was arguably Busto’s main signing for the season and she’ll try to repeat the success she had in 2021-2022, when she finished third in the Italian League and took silver in the Italian Cup with Novara.
Ebrar Karakurt – Igor Gorgonzola Novara
The sixth-best scorer of last year’s regular season, the Turkish star opposite will once again lead Novara’s offence. A ferocious hitter, the 22-year-old Karakurt is entering her second season with the team and has helped them win silver in the Italian Cup and the Italian Supercup and finish third in the Italian League in 2021-2022. Despite her young age, the Turkish player already has two FIVB Volleyball Women’s Club World Championship and two Champions League titles to her name, as well as silver medals in the VNL and the European Championship at the international level.
Britt Herbots – Il Bisonte Firenze
The Belgian rising star has switched clubs, moving from Novara to Firenze, where she’ll have a bigger role, and will play in the Lega Pallavolo Femminile for a fifth-straight season. The 23-year-old Herbots is widely recognised as an elite scorer at the international level and has topped the table in the last three tournaments she played, the 2021 and 2022 VNLs and this year’s Volleyball Challenger Cup. She has also played for clubs from her home country Belgium and France.
Tatiana Kosheleva – Megabox Ond. Savio Vallefoglia
Kosheleva’s first season with Vallefoglia was cut short in February due to a knee injury and after a long recovery, she’ll be ready to help the team in 2022-2023. The 33-year-old outside hitter is one of the most accomplished players in Russian volleyball history and played for her country’s national team as of 2007, appeared at two Olympics and won the 2010 FIVB Volleyball Women's World Championship. Kosheleva has also played in Russia, Türkiye, Brazil and China, winning titles in most of those countries.
Isabelle Haak – Prosecco Doc Imoco Conegliano
The Swedish opposite joins the defending champions with big shoes to fill, having been signed to replace 2022 VNL Most Valuable player Paola Egonu, who led the club to glory over the last six seasons. The 23-year-old Haak is probably going through the best moment in her still young career, having earned the MVP award in Türkiye’s VakifBank’s victory in last year’s Club World Championship and being the top scorer in the team’s triumph in the Champions League. She spent two seasons in Italy between 2017 and 2019, with Scandicci.
Olivia Rozanski – Reale Mutua Fenera Chieri
The 25-year-old outside hitter is on the rise and has been steadily improving her role with the Polish national team over the last few years. Rozanski represented her country in the first four editions of the VNL and recently made her World Championship debut. She’s set to play in the Italian League for the first time after having great success in the Polish league – Rozanski was the top scorer and best spiker in her country in 2021-2022.
Zhu Ting – Savino Del Bene Scandicci
The Chinese star was arguably the biggest signing made by an Italian club ahead of the 2022-2023 club season and will finally make her first appearance in the country’s national league. A Rio 2016 Olympic and FIVB Volleyball World Cup champion and a two-time medallist at the World Championship with her national team, the 27-year-old Zhu is considered one of the best players in the world. She’s also had tremendous success at the club level, having won two Club World Championship and Champions League gold medals and four national titles during her stints in China and Türkiye.
Lauren Carlini – Trasportipesanti Casalmaggiore
The talented American setter is back in Italy after three seasons with the goal of helping Casalmaggiore return to their glory days. The 27-year-old Carlini played for Scandicci and Novara between 2017 and 2019 and left the country with one Champions League and one Italian Cup title, as well as top three finishes in two editions of the Italian League. The playmaker, who also featured for clubs in Russia and Türkiye, has helped the United States win three golds at the VNL and silver at the 2019 FIVB World Cup.
Jovana Stevanovic – Vero Volley Milano
Part of the 2022 VNL Dream Team, the Serbian veteran was one of several big additions made by last year's runners-up. A world and European champion and a Rio 2016 Olympic silver medallist with the Serbian national team, the 30-year-old Stevanovic is set to play for her fourth different club in Italy. During her time with Casalmaggiore, Scandicci and Busto Arsizio, she won one Italian League and one Champions League title, as well as medals at the Club World Championship, the CEV Cup and the Italian Cup.
Bozana Butigan – Volley Bergamo 1991
After two seasons with limited playing time at Conegliano, Butigan has moved to Bergamo, where she’ll have more of a central role. The 22-year-old middle blocker has emerged as one of the most interesting pieces in her Croatian national team that will compete in the VNL in 2023 after triumphing in this year’s Volleyball Challenger Cup. She was the best blocker of that tournament. During her time with Conegliano, Butigan won the Italian League, the Italian Cup and the Italian Supercup twice, as well as the 2020-2021 edition of the Champions League.
Martyna Grajber-Nowakowska – Wash4green Pinerolo
The 27-year-old outside hitter will be one of the most experienced players in the young roster assembled by the recently-promoted Pinerolo. Set to play in Italy for the first time in her career, Grajber-Nowakowska has had success in her home country, winning the Polish League and the Polish Supercup twice and the Polish Cup in four different seasons. She’s also joined her country’s national team in three editions of the VNL and two of the FIVB World Grand Prix and the European Championship.
