Igor Gorgonzola Novara were the winners of the first Derby of the 2024-2025 Lega Volley Femminile Serie A1 Tigotà as they secured a huge five-set victory over Numia Vero Volley Milano on the road on Sunday, in the third leg of the regular season.

The result had an immediate impact on the Italian League standings, placing defending champions Prosecco Doc Imoco Conegliano as the solo leaders with 12 points. Conegliano and Milano were tied at the top of the standings with three victories after they both secured wins in their matches anticipated from the 13^th leg in the middle of the week.

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Novara, which now appear in seventh place with six points (two wins, one loss), came out on top in an incredible five-set battle at the Allianz Cloud, in Milano, triumphing 3-2 (25-21, 30-32, 25-22, 29-31, 15-12).

One of the team’s signings for the season, Russian opposite Tatiana Tolok was a huge factor in their victory, producing a match-high 30 points (27 kills, two blocks, one ace) and taking home the MVP award. German outside hitter Lina Alsmeier, with 18 points, and middle blocker Federica Squarcini, with 16, also had great performances.

“This is a big win for us and an important one too,” middle blocker Alessia Mazzaro said. “I thought we played an excellent match and although we may have reasons to regret not taking home all three points, Milano are an amazing team and what we did here today wasn’t easy at all.”

With star opposite Paola Egonu still sidelined, Milano split their scoring efforts between middle blocker Anna Danesi (20) and outside hitters Miriam Sylla (19) and Nika Daalderop (18).

"I thought we made more errors today than in previous matches, but I think we also did some good things during the match," Danesi commented. "We need to refine some details on our serving and our offense in order to be more consistent."

Benefited by Milano’s defeat, Conegliano took care of business on the road, beating Smi Roma Volley 3-1 (25-23, 25-17, 23-25, 25-20) with 26 points scored by Swedish star opposite Isabelle Haak to move above them in the standings.

Lega Volley Femmnilie – Match Schedule & Results

Scandicci win in Gaspari’s debut

With new head coach Marco Gaspari on the sidelines for the first time, Savino Del Bene Scandicci secured their third victory in the season, beating Bartoccini-MC Restauri Perugia 3-0 (25-15, 25-21, 25-15). With 27 points (21 kills, three aces, three blocks), Olympic champion opposite Ekaterina Antropova was their most productive player.

“It was a tricky match for us because I didn’t have a lot of time to understand the team’s dynamics since I arrived,” the new head coach reflected. “I didn’t know what to expect if we had a moment of difficulty. I expected some inconsistency and I believe our blocking and defense have to work better. I liked what I saw, but there’s a lot of work to be done. This first match helped me a lot to understand the team and I’m sure we’ll be able to show more next week.”

Another significant result of the weekend was Bergamo’s 3-1 (27-25, 20-25, 25-23, 25-18) defeat to Cda Volley Talmassons Fvg as the traditional Italian club was undefeated after two matches, while the Lega Femminile newcomers got to celebrate their first-ever victory in the Italian elite.

The weekend action in Italy also had Wash4Green Pinerolo beating Honda Olivero Cuneo 3-1 (25-23, 19-25, 25-18, 25-23), Reale Mutua Fenera Chieri ’76 overcoming Il Bisonte Firenze 3-2 (25-13, 25-23, 22-25, 17-25, 15-12) and Megabox Ondulati Savio Vallefoglia topping Eurotek UYBA Busto Arsizio 3-0 (25-21, 25-18, 25-15).

Next weekend, two matches of the Italian League will be held on Saturday, with the other five taking place on Sunday.

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