Alan Nine
Women’s Serie A1: Chieri and Novara battle to five-set opening wins
Reale Mutua Fenera Chieri ’76 and Igor Gorgonzola Novara both needed five sets to get their Serie A1 campaigns off to winning starts as the opening round concluded on Sunday.
Chieri twice came from a set down at Savino Del Bene Scandicci before taking charge of the tie-break, winning it 15-11 to secure a 3-2 victory. Novara also dropped the opener against Laica Cioccolato UYBA, then moved ahead before Busto Arsizio forced a deciding set. Igor prevailed 15-12 in the fifth to claim two points in Biella.
Prosecco DOC A. Carraro Imoco Conegliano enjoyed a more comfortable afternoon, sweeping aside Granda Volley Cuneo 3-0 (25-13, 25-16, 25-20). Newly promoted CDA Volley Talmassons FVG were just as convincing on the road, beating Banca Valsabbina Millenium Brescia 3-0 (25-15, 25-19, 25-15).
Numia Vero Volley Milano had already collected three points with Saturday’s straight-sets win over Il Bisonte Firenze. Elsewhere, Megabox Ond. Savio Vallefoglia recovered from losing the opening set to beat Omag Consolini Volley 1907 3-1, while ChorusLife Volley Bergamo defeated CBF Balducci HR Macerata by the same score.
Conegliano, Talmassons, Milano, Vallefoglia and Bergamo finish the opening weekend on three points apiece. Novara and Chieri have two each, with Scandicci and UYBA taking one point from their five-set defeats.
The second round opens on Saturday 10 October, when Vallefoglia host Scandicci and Conegliano face UYBA. Sunday’s fixtures include Novara against Bergamo, Chieri against Brescia and Talmassons against Cuneo.
SuperLega: Padova step up preparations ahead of league opener
Pallavolo Padova are entering the final two weeks before their league opener on 18 October, with the full squad yet to assemble. Setter Arshia Behnezhad is expected on Monday evening, while Amir Golzadeh remains sidelined through injury.
Academy opposite Erik Rendina has joined several first-team sessions in Golzadeh’s absence. As the training load increases, the coaching staff are focusing on blocking, decision-making in attack and transition play.
Brendan Mills said the young squad were improving every day and developing a stronger understanding both on and off the court. He is also looking forward to experiencing the home atmosphere at the Kioene Arena in a competitive match.
Serie A3: Altotevere rally past Terni in pre-season test
ErmGroup Altotevere came from a set down to beat Terni Volley Academy 3-1 in a training match at San Giustino.
After losing the opener 25-20, Altotevere found greater fluency in transition and imposed themselves at the net, taking the next three sets 25-13, 25-19 and 27-25.
Marzolla led the way with 23 points, supported by Alpini with 16 and Quarta with 13. Altotevere also outblocked Terni 15-8, while Santangelo and Zornetta led the visitors’ scoring with 18 and 14 points respectively.
Head coach Mirko Monaldi was encouraged by signs that his team were establishing a clear identity, but called for greater composure at the start of matches and more intensity in their play.
The sides meet again in Terni on Thursday 8 October, ten days before the Serie A3 season gets under way.
