Alan Nine
Transfer news: Prata close in on Finland’s Nooa Marttila
MODENA – Prata di Pordenone are in advanced talks to sign Nooa Marttila, the 21-year-old Finnish outside hitter whose performances at EuroVolley have put him on the radar of SuperLega clubs.
The 1.95m attacker had been set for a second consecutive season with Arago de Sète in France. His role in Finland’s run to the Final Four, including their quarter-final victory over Italy, has opened up a potential move to the Italian top flight. Marttila also earned a place in the tournament’s Dream Team as one of its two outside hitters.
Newly promoted Prata are now close to an agreement that would bring him to Italy for the 2026/27 season, rather than back to Sète.
Volleyball on TV: Expanded coverage for the new Italian season
The new domestic season brings broader television and streaming coverage across the Italian leagues.
Every match in the women’s Serie A1 will be shown on DAZN, with two or three fixtures each week exclusive to the platform. Rai Sport will broadcast one or two matches free-to-air, while three games per round will also be streamed on the Italian Women’s Volleyball League’s YouTube channel.
The women’s Serie A2 will be available in full on DAZN’s free tier, with registration required but no paid subscription. Four matches per round will be exclusive to DAZN, while the other four will also be shown on YouTube.
The women’s top flight has also expanded its international reach through distribution agreements with AWSN, Sportcast Taiwan and VoliTV.
The men’s Serie A2 returns to DAZN for a second season, again with every match available without a paid subscription. Coverage gets under way with the Del Monte Supercoppa A2 between Abba Pineto and Consoli Sferc Brescia in Roseto degli Abruzzi on 10 October.
DAZN’s wider volleyball schedule will also feature selected SuperLega and European fixtures, alongside the 2026 Club World Championship in Poland.
Women’s Serie A1: Chieri unveil new-look squad
TURIN – Reale Mutua Fenera Chieri ’76 have unveiled a heavily reshaped squad for their ninth season in Serie A1, with ten new arrivals joining five players retained from last year.
Ilaria Spirito remains captain, with Anna Gray taking the vice-captaincy.
Most regular-season home matches will be played at the PalaFenera. The Pala Gianni Asti will stage the fixtures against Conegliano and Milano, as well as Chieri’s CEV Cup home matches and any home play-off fixtures.
Nicola Negro’s side open their league campaign away to Scandicci on 4 October.
Italian clubs: Pre-season preparations gather pace
PIACENZA – Merrick McHenry has arrived at Gas Sales Bluenergy Piacenza for his first season in Italian volleyball.
The American middle blocker, who was born in 2000, won back-to-back NCAA titles with UCLA before spending two seasons with Nice in France. He said his immediate priorities were to learn Italian and settle into the squad, with the aim of helping Piacenza challenge for silverware.
TRENTO – Itas Trentino have welcomed Gabriele Laurenzano and Daniele Lavia back to training, giving head coach Marcelo Méndez 13 of his 14 players. France opposite Théo Faure is expected to join the group next week.
Trentino’s next pre-season outing is against Valsa Group Modena at the Memorial Parenti on 4 October.
CUNEO – Acqua Sant’Anna Cuneo head to Geneva for the Coupe Fred Fellay on 3–4 October, where they will face Chênois Genève, Tourcoing and Düren.
Head coach Matteo Battocchio sees the packed schedule as a chance to assess how his players respond to difficult spells before they open their SuperLega campaign against defending champions Perugia on 18 October.
Club results: Lube and Novara win, Vôlei Renata reach Paulista semi-finals
Lube Civitanova beat Yuasa Battery Grottazzolina 3-1 in a pre-season match, with Alex Nikolov contributing 12 points.
In the women’s game, Tatiana Tolok led all scorers with 21 points as Igor Gorgonzola Novara defeated Chieri 3-0 at the Memorial Giampaolo Ferrari.
In Brazil, Vôlei Renata booked a place in the Paulista Championship semi-finals with a straight-sets victory over Mania Itaquá. Douglas Souza scored 13 points as the Campinas club returned to the top of the table on 15 points, ahead of their final first-phase fixture against Suzano.
