The star opposite delivered 19 points in her first start in the season
Published 12:05, 18 Nov 2024
Egonu played all four sets and was one of Milano's leading scorers (Photo: Lega Volley Femminile)
With star opposite Paola Egonu in the starting lineup for the first time in the season, Numia Vero Volley Milano secured their eighth victory in the 2024-2025 Lega Volley Femminile Serie A1 Tigotà and continue to chase league leaders Prosecco Doc Imoco Conegliano.
The difference between the teams currently stands at five points, with Conegliano having 27 points and Milano trailing with 22, but it could come down to two next weekend, when the teams meet in the Italian League.
The return of Egonu, who had to have surgery at the start of the season and missed Milano’s first seven matches, was one of the many positives in the team’s 3-1 (22-25, 25-21, 32-30, 25-23) road win over Cda Volley Talmassons Fvg on Sunday.
The Olympic champion, who had briefly returned to action last weekend, showed she’s fully recovered ahead of the duel with Conegliano, playing all four sets and delivering a match-high 19 points, with 17 kills, one block and one ace.
Dutch outside hitter, who also left the court with 19 points (17 kills, two blocks), was selected as the match’s MVP. Olympic champions Miriam Sylla (15) and Anna Danesi (13) also got to double digits in scoring.
“Today, the most important thing was getting the three points back home,” middle blocker Laura Heyrman said. “We are coming from a few consecutive road matches and the players are feeling tired. It was great that we got the result.”
Russian outside hitter Yana Shcherban, with 15 points, and Greek outside hitter Olga Strantzali and middle blocker Alexandra Botezat, with 14 each, were Talmassons’ most productive players in the match.
Also on Sunday, Conegliano secured their ninth victory in the season, beating Wash4Green Pinerolo 3-0 (25-21, 25-15, 25-14). Swedish opposite Isabelle Haak, with 16 points, and Brazilian outside hitter Gabriela ‘Gabi’ Guimarães, with 15, were the team’s leading scorers.
This weekend, Milano were also able to create some separation from the third-placed team in the standings as Igor Gorgonzola Novara, who were just one point below them before the start of the eighth leg, fell to Eurotek Uyba Busto Arsizio 3-0 (25-17, 25-21, 25-14) on Sunday and remained with 18 points. Outside hitter Rebecca Piva scored 19 points for Busto, while German outside hitter Lina Alsmeier produced ten for Novara.
The result also benefited Savino Del Bene Scandicci, who counted on 25 points from Olympic champion opposite Ekaterina Antropova to overcome Megabox Ondulati Savio Vallefoglia 3-1 (16-25, 25-20, 25-22, 25-20) and get to the same 18 points of Novara, but now rank above them in third place because of their better set ratio.
The eighth leg of the regular season in Italy also had Bartoccini-MC Restauri Perugia’s first victory in 2024-2025. Following their 3-0 (25-22, 25-14, 25-21) win over Honda Olivero Cuneo, they moved from 14th to 11th place, with five points.
Lega Volley Femmnilie – Match Schedule & Results
The weekend’s schedule also had Reale Mutua Fenera Chieri ’76 beating Bergamo 3-1 (25-17, 20-25, 25-20, 25-18) on Saturday and Il Bisonte Firenze downing SMI Roma Volley 3-2 (17-25, 25-20, 29-27, 17-25, 15-13) on Sunday.
Next weekend, matches will be split into three days, with one encounter on Friday, one on Sunday and the remaining five on Sunday.
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