Roma Casalmaggiore 2702

Smarzek is Casalmaggiore's leading scorer in the season (Photo: LVF)

With just six matches left in the regular season, the race for the playoffs of the 2023-2024 Lega Pallavolo Femminile Serie A Tigotà is reaching a critical point and with four teams guaranteed in the postseason and another four spots still up for grabs, every match matters.

All 14 teams that compete in the Italian League will be back on the court this weekend for the eighth leg of the second round of the regular season between Saturday and Sunday, but one duel in particular, the one between Roma Volley Club and Trasportipesanti Casalmaggiore, could have major implications in the competition for a spot in the playoffs.

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Roma are currently the first team above the playoff qualification line, ranking eighth, with 27 points (nine wins). In order to make it to the playoffs in just their second season in the country’s elite, the team from the Italian capital will need to keep the good results coming until the end of the regular season and that includes stopping Casalmaggiore’s current strong run of form when the teams meet on Saturday at 20:30 local time (19:30 GMT).

The team from Northern Italy was fighting against relegation until mid-January, but changed their plans after getting five wins in their last six matches, including a huge four-set victory over Igor Gorgonzola Novara last weekend, and now are very much in the mix for a playoff spot, ranking tenth with 23 points (seven wins).

Roma are also in a good moment of their own, getting to this weekend’s encounter in a three-match winning streak – before that, they dropped seven consecutive games and saw their chances of competing in the postseason at risk.

“These are two teams fighting for a spot in the playoffs and it’s going to be a very tough match,” Roma’s middle blocker Michela Ciarrocchi commented. “Both sides are coming from good results and I expect a hard-fought match. Playing at home will be huge for us, though, as I think the support of our fans has been one of the reasons for our recent success. We are more determined when we have them behind us and that’s going to be very important for us in this final stretch of the regular season.”

Albanian opposite Erblira Bici, who scored 69 points in the team’s last three matches, has been playing a big role in Roma’s winning streak.

With Casalmaggiore, Polish opposite Malwina Smarzek has been a major contributor. She produced 25 points against Novara and has amassed 110 points in the last five encounters.

Saturday’s match will be critical for Casalmaggiore as while a 3-0 or 3-1 victory could bring them just one point away from the qualification zone, an upset with the same scores could push the gap to seven points with just five matches left to be played.

“We’re in a very good rhythm now and that has pushed us up in the standings, but also positively affected us in terms of attitude and confidence on the court,” said opposite Josephine Obossa. “That’s why we managed to beat Novara against all the odds. We’ll keep that same mindset against Roma. We know how strong they have been, but we’re now also aware of our abilities.”

Roma and Casalmaggiore have met just three times in history and the team from the Italian capital won the last two, on both occasions needing all five sets to take the victory – the most recent of them was in November, in the first leg of the regular season.

Firenze meet Busto

Also strongly involved in the race for the playoffs, Il Bisonte Firenze will go on the road against Uyba Volley Busto Arsizio on Sunday, at 17:00 local time (16:00 GMT). The team is currently in ninth place with 24 points (nine wins) and could end the weekend inside the qualification zone if they get a 3-0 or 3-1 win and Roma lose by similar scores.

Lega Femminile - Match Schedule and Results

Besides the match between Roma and Casalmaggiore, two other Italian League duels will be held on Saturday, with Savino Del Bene Scandicci hosting Honda Olivero S. Bernardo Cuneo at 18:00 local time (17:00 GMT) and Novara playing at home against Megabox Ondulati Savio Vallefoglia one hour later.

The round will be concluded on Sunday with three more encounters – Itas Trentino vs. Reale Mutua Fenera Chieri and Prosecco Doc Imoco Conegliano vs. Volley Bergamo at 17:00 local time (16:00 GMT) and Wash4Green Pinerolo vs. Allianz Vero Volley Milano at 18:30 local time (17:30 GMT).

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Lega Pallavolo Femminile Serie A1 Tigotà
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