Lanier, who’s in her first season with Imoco, had her best performance yet with the team, registering 17 points (12 kills, five aces), one more than the 31-year-old Cook, who produced 14 kills, one block and one ace and took home the MVP award.
Star Swedish opposite Isabelle Haak, who left the court with 20 points (15 kills, three blocks, two aces), was the only one to outscore the Americans on the winning side.
“I’m very proud of my team because the fact that we went on the road against the second-placed team and were able to play so well in sets one and two shows that we’re a really strong team,” setter Joanna Wolosz said. “Our level dropped a bit in the third set and it’s a shame we couldn’t win it after making a strong push at the end, but we showed maturity to get back to our good level after that and got an important win.”
The top scorer of the Italian League, Novara’s opposite Vita Akimova led her side with 17 points (16 kills, one block), followed by Dutch outside hitter Anne Buijs, who registered 11 with nine kills, one block and one ace.
Lega Femminile - Match Schedule and Results