The team from Firenze came back from a two-set deficit and continue in second place
Published 02:16, 03 Nov 2025
Scandicci players celebrate their massive comeback against Novara (Photo: LVF)
Savino Del Bene Scandicci showed tremendous strength and resilience to come back from a two-set deficit and claim a massive road win against Igor Gorgonzola Novara on Sunday, during the seventh left of the 2025-2026 Lega Femminile Serie A1 Tigotà regular season.
Dominated in the first two sets at the Pala Igor, in Novara, Scandicci found their game on time to come back and shock the home fans, producing an unlikely 3-2 (22-25, 19-25, 29-27, 25-13, 15-11) victory.
The two points earned with the five-set win were enough to keep Scandicci in second place in the standings with 19 points (seven wins, one loss), but they are now one behind league leaders Prosecco Doc Imoco Conegliano, who got to 20 (seven wins) thanks to a 3-1 (20-25, 25-21, 25-12, 25-18) road win over Bergamo, earned on Saturday with backup opposite Merit Adigwe producing a match-high 22 points (18 kills, four blocks).
To Novara, who earned one point with the result and now have 15 (seven wins, two losses), the defeat cost them the third place in the standings, which now belongs to Numia Vero Volley Milano, which counted on 19 points (15 kills, two blocks, two aces) from star opposite Paola Egonu to sweep (25-22, 25-19, 25-18) Wash4Green Monviso Volley at home on Sunday and get to 16 points (five wins, two losses).
In Novara, Olympic and world champion opposite Ekaterina Antropova was the main catalyst of Scandicci’s comeback, producing a match-high 26 points (23 kills, three blocks) and taking home the MVP award. American Olympic medalist outside hitter Avery Skinner also had an excellent performance, contributing 21 points (20 kills, one block).
“It was an incredible match,” head coach Marco Gaspari said. “At the end of the second set, not many people believed we could come back and take the win. Coming into this match, we knew that serving well, playing good defense, and being solid offensively would be the keys, and I think that only our attack remained really steady. The players who came off the bench helped a lot, and that’s the only way we’ll be able to have a good season, because we’ve been playing every three days. Winning in Novara is hard, and after being down 2-0 even more, so congratulations to the team.”
Novara had three players leaving the court with 18 points in Japanese outside hitter Mayu Ishikawa, Belgian outside hitter Britt Herbots and American middle blocker Amber Igiede, who played her last match with the team and will head back to the United States to play in the country’s League One.
“I expected to end my journey in Novara with a big win, and that’s disappointing,” she reflected. “But I’m proud of how we played in the first two sets and in part of the third against a very strong team. I’ll keep this month and a half in my memory with a lot of gratitude for everything I’ve experienced here and for how amazingly the players and coaching staff welcomed me.”
The seventh leg of the regular season also marked Omag-Mt San Giovanni In Marignano’s first-ever victory in the Italian elite. Making its debut in the country’s first division in 2025-2026, the team played Honda Cuneo Granda Volley at home on Sunday and triumphed 3-0 (33-31, 25-21, 25-13), having Brazilian opposite Edinara Brancher as their leading scorer with 14 points (11 kills, two aces, one block).
Also winning over the weekend were CBF Balducci HR Macerata, which topped Eurotek Laica UYBA Busto Arsizio 3-1 (26-24, 13-25, 25-22, 25-19), Reale Mutua Fenera Chieri ’76, which went on the road and beat Megabox Ondulati Del Savio Vallefogia 3-1 (19-25, 25-15, 25-23, 25-22), and Il Bisonte Firenze, which swept (25-22, 25-21, 25-22) Bartoccini-MC Restauri Perugia at home.
Lega Volley Femminile - Match Schedule & Results
The eighth leg of the regular season will have two matches next Saturday and another five on Sunday. Before that, on Wednesday, Conegliano and Milano face off in a postponed match of the fourth leg.
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