Find out how Milano, Monviso, Novara, Omag, Perugia, Scandicci and Vallefoglia enter the 2025-2026 Italian season
Published 12:00, 03 Oct 2025
Star opposite Paola Egonu leads Milano as they continue to chase their first Italian title (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, looking into the second half of them:
Milano finished second in three of the last four seasons, including 2024-2025, and continue to chase their first Italian League title. Led by Stefano Lavarini, they kept part of their core, including opposite Paola Egonu, outside hitter Elena Pietrini, middle blocker Anna Danesi, Serbian middle blocker Hena Kurtagić and French libero Juliette Gelin. Their offseason had a significant number of departures, though, with setter Alessia Orro, outside hitter Myriam Sylla, French outside hitter Héléna Cazaute, Dutch outside hitter Nika Daalderop, Japanese libero Satomi Fukudome and Belgian middle blocker Laura Heyrman standing out among them. Francesca Bosio is the team's new setter, while Russian Vita Akimova and Dutch Celeste Plak were added at opposite, American Khalia Lanier and Rebecca Piva were brought in at outside hitter and world champions Benedetta Sartori and Eleonora Fersino strengthen the middle and libero positions, respectively.
Previously representing the neighbouring city of Pinerolo, Monviso ranked ninth in the last edition of the Italian League, narrowly missing the playoffs. In 2025-2026, head coach Michele Marchiori continues ahead of the team, which also kept outside hitter Sofia D'Odorico, middle blocker Yasmina Akraki, French middle blocker Amandha Sylvés and libero Ilenia Moro. Among their new faces are experienced setter Ilaria Battistoni, opposite Adhuoljok Malual, Belarusian outside hitter Hanna Davyskiba and American middle blocker Anna Dodson. Olympic and world champion setter Carlotta Cambi left the team, alongside Polish opposite Malwina Smarzek, veteran outside hitter Indrė Sorokaite and French middle blocker Léandra Olinga-Andela.
The Italian League champions in 2016-2017, Novara ranked fourth last season. Led by legendary player Lorenzo Bernardi, they kept their strong opposite duo formed by Russian Tatiana Tolok and American Taylor Mims, Japanese national team captain Mayu Ishikawa, German outside hitter Lina Alsmeier, middle blockers Sara Bonifacio and Federica Squarcini and libero Giulia De Nardi from last year's roster. Their additions for 2025-2026 include Olympic and world champion setter Carlotta Cambi, Belgian outside hitter Britt Herbots, outside hitter Giulia Melli, Dutch middle blocker Indy Baijens, American middle blocker Amber Igiede and libero Giulia Leonardi. On the other hand, setter Francesca Bosio, opposite Vita Akimova, outside hitter Hanna Orthmann, middle blockers Maja Aleksić and Alessia Mazzaro and libero Eleonora Fersino left the team.
Previously known as Consolini Volley, Omag won the Italian second division in 2024-2025 and are set to make their first appearance in the country's elite. Veteran opposite Serena Ortolani leads the group of players who continue with the team after the promotion alongside setter Cecilia Nicolini, outside hitters Anna Piovesan and Alice Nardo and middle blocker Sveva Parini. Omag looked into both the domestic and international markets to build the roster led by head coach Massimo Bellano, signing outside hitter Martina Bracchi, middle blocker Sara Caruso and libero Sara Panetoni from Italian clubs and bringing German setter Sarah Straube, Brazilian opposite Edinara Brancher and middle blocker Elizaveta Kochurina from overseas. Outside hitter Alexandra Ravarini, middle blocker Claudia Consoli and libero Sofia Valoppi are some of the players who left the team after their second-division success.
Perugia's fourth appearance in the Lega Femminile ended with a tenth-place finish in 2024-2025 and the confirmation of their presence in the elite for the upcoming season. Setter Maria Irene Ricci, outside hitter Beatrice Gardini, middle blocker Benedetta Bartolini and liberos Imma Sirressi and Stefania Recchia are back from last year's team, as well as head coach Andrea Giovi. The team's main signings include Slovenian opposite Nika Marković, American opposite Kashauna Williams, outside hitter Elena Perinelli, Belgian middle blocker Nathalie Lemmens and middle blocker Alessa Mazzaro. Setter Yadhira Achante, opposite Anett Németh, outside hitters Gaia Traballi and Adelina Ungureanu and middle blockers Aleksandra Gryka and Anastasia Cekulaev all left the team after the end of last season.
Still looking for their first Italian title, Scandicci finished in the top three in the last three seasons, and were third in 2024-2025. Olympic and world champion opposite Ekaterina Antropova and Serbian star setter Maja Ognjenović continue in the team, as do setter Giulia Gennari, American outside hitter Lindsey Ruddins, middle blockers Linda Nwakalor and Emma Graziani and Dominican libero Brenda Castillo. Scandicci gave head coach Marco Gaspari new options in many positions, with Marta Bechis joining as setter, Olympic champion Caterina Bosetti and Americans Avery Skinner and Sarah Franklin adding to their outside hitter depth and German Camilla Weitzel and Giulia Mancini offering new possibilities in the middle. The list of departures was also extensive and included opposite Camilla Mingardi, outside hitters Britt Herbots, Anna Kotikova and Kara Bajema and middle blocker Ana Carolina 'Carol' da Silva.
Vallefoglia finished fifth in the 2024-2025 season of the Italian League, making it to the playoffs, but falling to Milano in the quarterfinals. The team made significant changes to its squad and will have Albanian opposite Erblira Bici, outside hitters Gaia Giovannini and Federica Carletti, middle blocker Sonia Candi and liberos Alice Feduzzi and Chiara De Bortoli as their only returning players in 2025-2026. Spanish Raquel Lázaro is their new setter, while Bulgarian Mikaela Stoyanova is an option at opposite, Olympic and world champion Loveth Omoruyi and Romanian Adelina Ungureanu were added at outside hitter and Canadian Nyadholi Thokbuom and Croatian Božana Botigan join the middle. On the departing side were setters Pia Kästner adn Viktoriya Kobzar, opposite Maja Storck, outside hitters Alice Degradi and Simone Lee and middle blocker Camilla Weitzel.
