Bergamo are one step closer to qualifying for the 2025-2026 Lega Femminile Serie A1 Tigotà playoffs after the 11th leg of the second round of the regular season was completed on Wednesday.

Heavily involved in the race for the two remaining spots in the postseason, the eight-time Italian champions tipped the odds in their favor with a 3-1 (24-26, 26-24, 25-21, 25-22) road win over Honda Cuneo Granda Volley.

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Ranked seventh in the standings, Bergamo are competing with Il Bisonte Firenze and Eurotek Laica UYBA Busto Arsizio, which both have 27 points, for the two spots in the postseason - Omag-Mt San Giovanni In Marignano (23) and CBF Balducci HR Macerata (21) also have an outside shot.

They entered the court on Wednesday only one point ahead of Firenze and Busto, but saw their gap increase to four after their victory and their opponents' defeats. With that, they need to win one of their two remaining regular-season matches 3-0 or 3-1 to advance regardless of what their opponents accomplish.

Young outside hitter Alessia Bolzonetti had a key role in Bergamo's critical victory against Cuneo, leading the team with 22 points (19 kills, two blocks, one ace) and earning the MVP award. Middle blocker Denise Meli added 15, with eight kills, six blocks and one ace.

"This victory means a lot to us," Bolzonetti said. "We know that getting as many points as we can in these last regular season matches will be key, and I'm happy to see we're doing well.  We need to keep this energy and this enthusiasm for the last two home matches."

Conegliano clinch the top spot

The Italian League midweek leg confirmed defending champions Prosecco Doc Imoco Conegliano as the top-seeded team for the playoffs. The Panthers played on the road on Tuesday and swept (25-17, 25-16, 25-18) Firenze, getting to 66 points in the standings.

Slovenian outside hitter Fatoumatta Sillah was Conegliano's top scorer with 15 points (13 kills, one block, one ace) and took home the MVP award.

"It was a great match, and we played well from the start," opposite Merit Adigwe said. "We had two matches in three days here in Firenze and now, having confirmed the top spot, we can finally rest. We want to finish strong in the last two matches and get to the playoffs well-prepared."

World champions Savino Del Bene Scandicci, which tried to challenge Conegliano for the top spot, got closer to confirming the second place thanks to a 3-0 (25-23, 25-18, 25-19) road win over Megabox Ondulati Del Savio Vallefoglia on Wednesday that raised their point total to 59.

Numia Vero Volley Milano progressed towards a third-place finish, or even challenging Scandicci for second place, after beating San Giovanni 3-1 (25-21, 23-25, 25-22, 25-21) on Wednesday. The result got them up 56 points.

The battle for fourth place, which will grant the team homecourt advantage in the first round of the playoffs, took an interesting direction on Wednesday, when Igor Gorgonzola Novara swept (25-22, 33-31, 25-16) Macerata and Reale Mutua Fenera Chieri '76 unexpectedly went down to Wash4Green Monviso Volley 3-1 (25-18, 25-22, 22-25, 25-23). The teams are now tied with 51 points, but Novara passed Chieri for fourth place thanks to their higher number of victories.

Perugia live to fight for another day

Bartoccini-Mc Restauri Perugia, which entered the court threatened by the risk of ending the day relegated, fought back, defeating Busto 3-1 (26-24, 25-22, 22-25, 25-21) and kept their hopes alive - they would have been relegated if they had lost one more set.

With the result, Perugia got to 15 points, but are still in critical condition. In order to continue in the Italian elite in 2026-2027, they need to win both their remaining matches 3-0 or 3-1 and hope that two of Macerata (21), Cuneo (20) and Monviso (20) don't earn more points.

Outside hitter Alessia Fiesoli earned the MVP award in their victory over Busto after scoring ten points (seven kills, two aces, one block).

"It feels good to win again," Fiesoli revealed. "After all these losses, our confidence was very low. It wasn't easy to find the motivation to work in the last few weeks, but now we'll be able to return to practice in better spirits."

Lega Volley Femminile - Match Schedule & Results

The 12th and penultimate leg of the second round of the regular season will be held over the weekend, with one match on Saturday and six on Sunday.

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