A lot at stake in Lega Femminile’s mid-week leg

It will be a quick turnaround for most teams competing at the 2023-2024 Lega Pallavolo Femminile Serie A Tigotà this week as, just three days after completing another leg of the regular season action, they will be back on the court on Wednesday to take part in some critical matches.

With six encounters set to take place on the same evening, the ninth leg of the second round of the Italian League will bring major implications to each of the 12 teams that will get on the court across the country – and even to the two that won’t.

• Watch Lega Pallavolo Femminile Serie A1 matches live on VBTV.

With the regular season set to end in less than three weeks and just four matches to be played for each team, every point matters, but this Wednesday’s encounters could determine the outcome of the season for teams ranked from the top to the bottom of the standings.

Imoco set to clinch first place

The only undefeated team in the Lega Femminile with 63 points (22 wins), defending champions Prosecco Doc Imoco Conegliano are one of five sides already guaranteed in the playoffs. On Wednesday, the Panthers can take another step forward and secure first place in the regular season, giving them a homecourt advantage in each round of the playoffs.

Imoco will be at home against a tough opponent in third-placed Igor Gorgonzola Novara (53 points, 18 wins) at 20:30 local time (19:30 GMT) at the Palaverde, in Villorba, and need a 3-0 or 3-1 set win to get to 66 points and confirm the top spot in the postseason heading into the playoffs.

The defending champions, who defeated Novara in three or four sets in each of the last seven encounters between the teams, can clinch the top seed in the postseason with other results, as long as second-placed Allianz Vero Volley Milano (53 points, 19 wins) drop points in their road match against Trasportipesanti Casalmaggiore, which will start at the same time.

"Imoco and Novara always play exciting matches and I'm sure our fans will be entertained," Imoco's head coach Daniele Santarelli said. "They have many players who are used to winning trophies and an excellent coach and can also count on the tremendous power of (Ekaterina) Antropova and their new signing (Marina) Markova. They are one of the teams trailing us, but we're not looking at the standings right now. We just want to face one match at a time as we continue our path to peak on the most critical moment of the season and each duel gives us an opportunity to see where we stand."

Pinerolo determined to claim a playoff spot

Also on Wednesday, Wash4Green Pinerolo could book their spot in the postseason, joining Imoco, Milano, Novara, Savino Del Bene Scandicci and Reale Mutua Fenera Chieri.

Currently in sixth place with 34 points (11 wins), they need to collect all three points on the road against Scandicci at 16:00 local time (15:00 GMT) to get to 37 and secure their position among the top eight teams of the regular season.

“This part of the season is very challenging for us as we’re playing back-to-back matches on the road,” said Pinerolo’s head coach Michele Marchiaro. “So we must prepare the team technically and tactically, but also mentally. We hope to play a good match against Scandicci, as we did in the first round and the Coppa Italia.”

Lega Femminile - Match Schedule and Results

Ninth-placed Il Bisonte Firenze (24 points, nine wins) pose the biggest threat to Pinerolo among the teams sitting outside the qualification zone and they face Megabox Ondulati Savio Vallefoglia at home at 20:30 local time (19:30 GMT).

Cuneo could send Trentino down

The battle at the bottom of the standings could also have its first definition on Wednesday. Currently sitting in last place, Itas Trentino (seven points, two wins) won’t get on the court (their match against Volley Bergamo will be held on March 20), but could still end the day relegated.

That will happen if 12^th-placed Honda Olivero S. Bernardo Cuneo (16 points, six wins) earn all three points in their match against Roma Volley Club, set to start at 20:30 local time (19:30 GMT). With 19 points, Cuneo could no longer be caught by Trentino, who would then be confirmed in one of the two last spots in the standings.

"We're coming from a good result on Sunday (3-1 win over Busto Arsizio) and we're ready to take another big step," opposite Terry Enweonwu commented. "Roma are a tough opponent and also had good results recently, so it's going to be a difficult match, but I'm confident we will have a strong performance. We're trying to find the consistency and focus in our game."

Also in the fight to avoid relegation, Uyba Volley Busto Arsizio (21 points, six wins) will play a critical match against Chieri at 20:30 local time (19:30 GMT). In case of a 3-0 or 3-1 win, they would get to 24 and create a nine-point separation from 15^th-placed Bergamo (15 points, four wins).

Quick links:
Lega Pallavolo Femminile Serie A1 Tigotà
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