Conegliano and Scandicci also collect all three points after starting behind
Published 11:23, 29 Oct 2025
The road win made Novara go up from fourth to third place (Photo: LVF)
Igor Gorgonzola Novara recovered well after their first defeat in the season and returned to winning ways in the 2025-2026 Lega Femminile Serie A1 Tigotà on Wednesday, securing their fifth victory in the tournament.
The Courmayeur Cup winners didn't perform at their best in the defeat to Prosecco Doc Imoco Conegliano on Saturday and had a difficult start against Wash4Green Monviso Volley, but raised their level to produce an important 3-1 (23-25, 25-17, 25-16, 25-21) road win.
The three points earned with the victory made Novara move one spot up in the standings, going from fourth to third. They have 14 points (five wins, one loss) and trail league leaders Conegliano and second-placed Savino Del Bene Scandicci, which both also won on Wednesday, by three.
Novara relied on all of their offensive weapons to come back against Monviso as each of the team's five starting hitters got to double digits in scoring - outside hitters Lina Alsmeier (17) and Mayu Ishikawa (13), opposite Britt Herbots (15) and middle blockers Amber Igiede (12) and Sara Bonifacio (11).
"We knew it wasn't going to be easy, but we were still caught a little bit off-guard by them at the start," Herbots, who was the match's MVP, reflected. "They pushed us with their serves, and we couldn't find our game, but we reacted after that, and I'm happy about it. We work very hard every day, and having this attitude is a trait of a great team."
Despite the defeat, Monviso had the match's top scorer in opposite Adhuoljok Malual, who produced 18 points (16 kills, one block, one ace), three more than Belarusian outside hitter Hanna Davyskiba.
The two teams that are ranked above Novara in the standings, Conegliano and Scandicci also secured all three points after dropping the first set of their matches on Wednesday. The defending champions saw Reale Mutua Fenera Chieri '76 strike first, but fed from the energy of their home fans at the Palaverde to fight back and win 3-1 (23-25, 25-20, 25-20, 27-25).
Swedish star opposite Isabelle Haak was instrumental in their comeback, leaving the court with an impressive 26 points (20 kills, four blocks, two aces). World champion outside hitter Stella Nervini led Chieri with 19 (18 kills, one ace).
Also playing at home, Scandicci recovered from a slow start against Eurotek Laica UYBA Busto Arsizio and came out on top, triumphing 3-1 (23-25, 25-11, 25-16, 25-20). Olympic and world champion opposite Ekaterina Antropova fired 21 points (15 kills, three blocks, three aces), four more than American outside hitter Sarah Franklin. Busto got 14 (11 kills, two aces, one block) from opposite Josephine Obossa.
In another four-setter, Megabox Ondulati Del Savio Vallefoglia triumphed against Bergamo, winning 3-1 (21-25, 25-14, 25-16, 25-23). Olympic and world champion outside hitter Loveth Omoruyi led their comeback with a solid 22-point performance (20 kills, two blocks).
The fifth match of the day went to five sets and had Honda Cuneo Granda Volley avoiding a reverse sweep to take Il Bisonte Firenze down 3-2 (25-15, 25-23, 18-25, 21-25, 15-13). American middle blocker Jaelyn Keene led their offense with 20 points (17 kills, two blocks, one ace), while Firenze's Dutch outside hitter Jolien Knollema emerged as the match's top scorer with 26 (22 kills, three blocks, one ace).
Lega Volley Femminile - Match Schedule & Results
The sixth leg of the first round of the Italian League regular season will be completed on Thursday, with two more matches. Bartoccini-Mc Restauri Perugia and Numia Vero Volley Milano start earlier, at 20:00 local time (19:00 GMT), with CBF Balducci HR Macerata and Omag-Mt San Giovanni In Marignano beginning 30 minutes later.
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