Know how Bergamo, Busto Arsizio, Chieri, Conegliano, Cuneo, Firenze and Macerata start the 2025-2026 Italian season
Published 12:00, 01 Oct 2025
Seven-time defending champions Conegliano kept all of their stars and will be among the favorites to triumph in the Italian League (Photo: LVF)
Vastly recognized as the top women's volleyball national league on the planet, the Lega Femminile Serie A1 Tigotà is set to get started in just a few days, kicking off its 81st season on October 6.
The 14 best teams in the country that currently holds the Olympic, world and Volleyball Nations League titles will compete until the end of April, generating seven months of exciting battles involving the best players in the world. And, again, all matches will be streamed live on VBTV.
This season's edition of the tournament will be particularly special, featuring 11 of the 13 players who gave Italy their first Olympic gold medals last year and 12 of the 14 players who helped them triumph at the World Championship for the second time last month - they are split into seven different teams in the League -, as well as some of the main international stars of the sport.
The regular season will go until February 21, with the best eight teams advancing to the playoffs. The quarterfinals will be held in a best-of-three series, while the semifinals and Finals will be best-of-five duels.
As Opening Day approaches, we're presenting everything you need to know about each of the 14 participating teams - this time, we look into the first half of them:
An eight-time Italian League champion (1995-1996, 1996-1997, 1997-1998, 1998-1999, 2001-2002, 2003-2004, 2005-2006, 2010-2011), Bergamo ranked eighth last season, after making it to the playoffs and falling to eventual champions Conegliano in the quarterfinals. The team underwent some changes in the offseason and has Czech outside hitter Michaela Mlejnková, Cuban outside hitter Ailama Cesé, German middle blocker Monique Strubbe, middle blocker Linda Manfredini and libero Martina Armini as its main returners. 2025 VNL champion and setter Chidera Eze and high-scoring German opposite Emilia Weske were the main signings of the team coached by Carlo Parisi, which saw American setter Ashley Evans and opposite Vittoria Piani leave for other clubs.
Busto won the Italian League for the first and only time so far in 2011-2012. Last season, they made it to the playoffs, but were downed by Scandicci, ending up in sixth place. Returning key players from their last campaign include setter Jennifer Boldini, opposite Josephina Obossa, Belgian middle blocker Silke Van Avermaet and libero Federica Pelloni. Led by head coach Enrico Barbolini, Busto made some interesting moves in the offseason, acquiring Japanese national team setter Nanami Seki from Conegliano, bringing experienced opposite Valentina Diouf and outside hitter Alessia Gennari back to the Italian League and adding a pair of intriguing outside hitters in Egyptian Mariam Metwally and Mexican Melanie Parra. Leaving the team after teh 2024-2025 season were world champion middle blocker Benedetta Sartori, opposite Giorgia Frosini and outside hitters Ana Karina Olaya, Rebecca Piva, Alexandra Lazić and Laura-Dervisaj-Künzler.
Chieri ranked fifth in the 2024-2025 Lega Femminile after going down to Novara in the quarterfinals in a dramatic three-leg battle. By keeping world champion outside hitter Stella Nervini, Olympic champion libero Illaria Spirito, Dutch setter Sarah Van Aalen and Italian national team middle blocker Anna Gray, Chieri had a solid foundation to build their roster for 2025-2026. The team was aggressive in the transfer market, signing Dutch opposite Elles Dambrink, Hungarian opposite Anett Németh, Italian national team outside hitter Alice Degradi, French outside hitter Halimatou Bah and German middle blocker Anastasia Cekulaev - Chieri also have a new coach in Nicola Negro, who joins after six successful seasons with Minas in Brazil. Leaving the team in the offseason were opposites Mártha Anthóuli and Lucille Gicquel, outside hitters Avery Skinner, Anne Buijs and Loveth Omoruyi and middle blocker Katerína Zakchaíou.
Conegliano won their eighth overall and seventh-straight Italian title (2015-2016, 2017-2018, 2018-2019, 2020-2021, 2021-2022, 2022-2023, 2023-2024, 2024-2025) last season, as part of a perfect campaign from them, who topped the podium in each tournament they played. The Panthers will continue to be very strong in 2025-2026 as they kept their entire core formed by Polish setter Joanna Wołosz, Swedish opposite Isabelle Haak, Brazilian outside hitter Gabriela 'Gabi' Guimarães, Chinese outside hitter Zhu Ting, middle blockers Marina Lubian, Sarah Fahr and Cristina Chirichella and libero Monica De Gennaro, as well as head coach Daniele Santarelli. The team's offseason moves basically kept the depth of the roster, with American setter Jenna Ewert, Dutch outside hitter Nika Daalderop and Slovenian outside hitter Fatoumatta Sillah being brought to replace the departing Nanami Seki (setter), Khalia Lanier (outside hitter) and Martyna Łukasic (outside hitter).
Cuneo ranked 11th in the 2024-2025 Lega Femminile, missing the playoffs, but also avoiding relegation. Their inconsistent campaign made the team promote a massive revamp in their squad, with setter Noemi Signorile, Colombian outside hitter María Margarita Martínez and middle blocker Agnese Cecconello being the only returning players - head coach François Salvagni also continues. Among their many additions, the ones of Spanish outside hitter Jessica Rivero Marín, Dutch outside hitter Nova Marring, American middle blocker Jaelyn Keene and libero Anna Bardaro stand out. Their main departures were Serbian opposite Ana Bjelica, German opposite Margareta Kozuch, Russian outside hitter Anastasiia Kapralova and Dutch middle blocker Tessa Poulder.
Firenze fought against relegation for most of the 2024-2025 Lega Femminile season and accomplished their goal, ranking 12th. For the upcoming season, they kept head coach Federico Chiavegatti, but changed most of their squad, maintaining only setter Beatrice Agrifoglio and middle blocker Nausica Acciarri. Serbian opposite Vanja Bukilić, Dutch outside hitter Jolien Knollema, outside hitter Francesca Villani and Serbian middle blocker Ana Malešević were their most seasoned and promising additions. Among the players leaving the team at the end of their last campaign were setter Marta Bechis, opposite Adhuoljok Malual, outside hitters Stella Nervini and Hanna Davyskiba and middle blocker Božana Butigan and Indy Baijens.
Macerata finished second in the Italian second division last season and are set to compete in the country's elite for just the second time after ranking 14th in 2022-2023. Besides head coach Valerio Lionetti, some players will continue with the team in the Serie A1, most notably setter Asia Bonelli, opposite Clara Decortes, middle blocker Alessia Mazzon and libero Giulia Bresciani. Their main signings include Argentine national team middle blocker Bianca Farriol, American middle blocker Emma Clothier and Finnish outside hitter Suvi Kokkonen, while setter Safa Allaoui, Argentine outside hitter Daniela Bulaich and middle blocker Sara Caruso lead the group of the players that left the team after their promotion.
