Szakmáry steps up and helps Novara remain at the top

Helped by a strong performance of Hungarian Gréta Szakmáry, Igor Gorgonzola Novara were able to overcome injuries and keep their perfect record in the Lega Pallavolo Femminile Serie A on Wednesday.

Without star outside hitters Anne Buijs and Hanna Orthmann, Novara got their fifth-straight victory in the season, downing Itas Trentino 3-0 (25-23, 25-19, 25-20) in front of 2,700 home fans at the Pala Igor.

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

The first team to get to 15 points in the standings (five wins), Novara saw the substitute of the injured Buijs, the 21-year-old Szakmáry, who’s in her first season with the club, step up and take home the MVP award after producing 13 points with 12 kills and one ace.

“I’m very proud of our win and of the ability we displayed to deal with the challenges and, unfortunately, another injury,” Szakmáry commented. “One of our strengths is to have many players who can come in and contribute and that showed again. Every match is important for us, not only for the points, but also as we look to improve.”

Russian opposite Vita Akimova led Novara’s offense with 23 points (18 kills, four aces, one block), while opposite Carly De Hoog and outside hitter Francesca Michieletto were Trentino’s most productive players with 11 points each.

Novara will be back on the court on Sunday, at 20:00 local time (19:00 GMT), to face Honda Olivero S. Bernardo Cuneo on the road.

“Instead of complaining about another injury, I prefer to congratulate the team, which reacted well to an important absence and got us another important win,” said head coach Lorenzo Bernardi. “We know that we haven’t faced the teams that are supposed to be our main rivals for the title yet, but we’re taking these matches to improve and be ready for when that happens.”

Undefeated Imoco and Milano also win

Back to the SuperLega after meeting in the Italian Supercoppa last weekend, Prosecco Doc Imoco Conegliano and Allianz Vero Volley Milano also triumphed in the first midweek round of the 2023-2024 Italian League.

Lega Femminile - Match Schedule and Results

Defending champions Imoco had a challenging match against Savino Del Bene Scandicci on the road but secured a 3-1 (26-24, 27-25, 23-25, 25-20) victory with an impressive 32 points of Swedish star opposite Isabelle Haak. They now have 12 points in four matches and rank second.

Milano, who are third with 11 points (four wins), also played on the road, facing Volley Bergamo 1991, and needed four sets too to win 3-1 (25-23, 25-22, 20-25, 25-18). They had four players with 11 points – middle blockers Laura Heyrman and Dana Rettke and outside hitters Kara Bajema and Nika Daalderop.

The other four matches of the day saw Il Bisonte Firenze top Roma Volley Club 3-2 (25-22, 25-27, 25-23, 22-25, 15-12), Reale Mutua Fenera Chieri overcome Megabox Ondulati Savio Vallefoglia 3-1 (25-22, 18-25, 25-22, 25-23) on the road, Cuneo defeat Trasportipesanti Casalmaggiore 3-0 (26-24, 25-16, 25-19) and Wash4Green Pinerolo down Uyba Volley Busto Arsizio 3-1 (23-25, 25-17, 25-21, 25-19).

The sixth round of the Italian League will be held over the weekend, with three matches on Saturday and four on Sunday.

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Lega Pallavolo Femminile Serie A1
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