Superlega 2025/26 - News.

Superlega 2025/26

Lube against Sir in spotlight as busy SuperLega week continues

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Published 07:50, 17 Jan 2026

Sir v Lube (source: legavolley.it)

The last match of the 16th leg in the Italian men’s volleyball SuperLega Credem Banca, between Cisterna Volley and Vero Volley Monza, was played on Thursday, and the 17th leg, with a full set of six matches, is set to get underway already on Saturday. In the most interesting fixture of the weekend, Cucine Lube Civitanova will take on Sir Susa Scai Perugia on Sunday.

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Cucine Lube Civitanova will host Sir Susa Scai Perugia at a sold-out Eurosuole Forum on Sunday, January 18. The match is scheduled at 18:00 local time (17:00 UTC), and just before the start, Lube’s Canadian opposite Eric Loeppky will receive his award as Credem Banca Most Valuable Player (MVP) for the month of December. The home team, still the reigning Italy Cup crown-bearers, are placed sixth in the current standings on 31 points and a 10-6 win-loss record. Reigning club world and European champions Sir, who are on a winning streak of 16 consecutive matches in all competitions, stand on top of the table on 41 and 14-2.

This match-up is a remake of last season’s spectacular semifinal playoff between the two clubs, in which the team from Perugia took the first two wins, but Lube turned it around with three wins in a row to claim a spot in the final. This season, Sir and Lube have already met twice, with the Block Devils celebrating home victories in both cases – 3-2 in the SuperLega and 3-1 in a Coppa Italia quarterfinal. With these two wins, Sir edged ahead in the all-time head-to-head record by 38-36.

“Just thinking about being the Credem Banca MVP for December makes me emotional. I consider it a great recognition, because I play in the most beautiful and challenging league in the world. But if I'm rewarded, the credit should be shared with my fantastic teammates. When I do something good, it's also thanks to them. I'm really excited for the second half of the season, in view of the playoffs. We work hard with the staff, and thanks to our daily efforts, we're growing in every way. Every aspect of our game benefits.” Eric Loeppky, opposite of Cucine Lube Civitanova
“Now we have to immediately focus on the next match, which will be very, very difficult. The most difficult aspect is that we have little rest and also little time to train, so we struggle to perfect certain things during training and we have to do it during the matches. So, from the trip to Cuneo, I'll take home the things we did well and also the things we did ‘less well’, to study, understand, and analyze them to try to bring them to the best of our ability in the match against Civitanova.” Simone Giannelli, setter of Sir Susa Scai Perugia

The leg will open on Saturday, January 17, with a game between Rana Verona and MA Acqua San Bernardo Cuneo. It will serve off at 18:00 (17:00) at the Agsm AIM hall in Verona. The home team is running second on 39 and 14-2, while the SuperLega rookies are in ninth place on 12 and 3-13. When they met for the first time in December, the visitors from Verona swept the match in straight sets.

Third-placed Itas Trentino Trento will play in Sunday’s opening game. The defending champions will welcome Allianz Milan to the BTS Arena at 17:00 (16:00). Trentino stand third on 36 and 12-4, while Allianz are in seventh place on 26 and 9-7. November’s match between them in Milan went to the squad from Trento in straight sets.

An hour later, Gas Sales Bluenergy Piacenza will entertain Yuasa Battery Grottazzolina at the Banca Sport hall. Gas Sales are in fifth place on 32 and 10-6, while their visitors are stuck firmly to the bottom of the table, in 12th place on 4 and 1-15. The team from Piacenza swept November’s road game in Grottazzolina by 3-0.

Grottazzolina seem more and more doomed to relegation, especially after Cisterna Volley’s 3-1 (25-22, 25-23, 18-25, 25-22) home win over Vero Volley Monza on Thursday evening, in which setter Alessandro Fanizza claimed the MVP award, opposite Tommaso Barotto led the winners with 18 points, while his Hungarian counterpart Krisztian Padar produced a match-high 21 points (three aces, three kill blocks) for Vero Volley.

This way, Cisterna Volley opened a safety gap of six points between them and Grottazzolina, improving to 10 and 4-12 in 11th place before visiting Sonepar Padova Padua at the Kioene Arena on Sunday at 18:00 (17:00). Padova, who won December’s match at Cisterna in four sets, are just a point above them, in 10th place on 11 and 4-12.

With Vero Volley still in eighth place, now on 12 and 4-12, the scuffle among them, Cuneo, Padova and Cisterna is starting to look more and more like a race for a spot in the playoffs than like a battle for survival in the league. In the weekend’s closing match, on Sunday at 19:00 (18:00), Vero Volley Monza will entertain Valsa Group Modena at the Opiquad Arena. Modena are running in fourth place on 34 and 11-5. They shut out Vero Volley at home in October.

SuperLega Credem Banca 2025-2026 17th-leg schedule:
Jan 17, 18:00 local (17:00 UTC): Rana Verona v MA Acqua San Bernardo Cuneo
Jan 18, 17:00 local (16:00 UTC): Itas Trentino Trento v Allianz Milan
Jan 18, 18:00 local (17:00 UTC): Sonepar Padova Padua v Cisterna Volley
Jan 18, 18:00 local (17:00 UTC): Gas Sales Bluenergy Piacenza v Yuasa Battery Grottazzolina
Jan 18, 18:00 local (17:00 UTC): Cucine Lube Civitanova v Sir Susa Scai Perugia
Jan 18, 19:00 local (18:00 UTC): Vero Volley Monza v Valsa Group Modena

SuperLega Credem Banca 2025-2026 schedule and results

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