Alan Nine
Civitanova and Piacenza lifted pre-season silverware on Sunday night, with Lube overcoming Milano in Jesi and Piacenza sweeping Trentino in Cagliari to finish their preparations with nine wins from nine matches. Elsewhere, FIPAV president Giuseppe Manfredi received Italy’s highest sporting honour.
SuperLega pre-season: Civitanova claim Jesi crown, Piacenza finish unbeaten
Cucine Lube Civitanova won the Jesi Volley Cup for the second time in four editions, beating Allianz Milano 3-1 (25-23, 29-31, 25-21, 25-14) in front of 2,017 spectators at the PalaTriccoli. The final remained finely balanced until midway through the third set, when Lube began to pull away. After edging ahead, Civitanova dominated the fourth to secure the trophy.
Simeon Nikolov earned tournament MVP honours after directing the Lube attack and contributing five points in the final. Alex Nikolov led Civitanova with 16 points, while Mattia Bottolo added 10. Milano’s Basil Dermaux topped the match scoring with 20. Civitanova converted 56 per cent of their attacks and fired eight aces, compared with Milano’s 49 per cent and two aces.
Gas Sales Bluenergy Piacenza also finished the weekend with a trophy, beating Itas Trentino 3-0 (25-22, 29-27, 25-19) in the Sardinia International Volley Cup final to complete an unbeaten pre-season. Piacenza outblocked Trentino 13-7 and posted 52 per cent attacking efficiency, nine percentage points better than their opponents.
Manuel Zlatanov led all scorers with 19 points, including five blocks and an ace. Bovolenta contributed 12 and Gutierrez added 11, while Théo Faure scored 12 in his first appearance of the season for Trentino. Piacenza open their SuperLega campaign away to Padova on 18 October, with Trentino visiting Modena later that day.
SuperLega: Verona clarify Keita’s role in toll-gate incident
Verona Volley have confirmed that Noumory Keita was a passenger in a car stopped at the Vicenza Ovest motorway toll gate on Thursday night.
According to Corriere del Veneto, the driver failed to stop before leaving the vehicle and was later found to have had his driving licence revoked.
Verona said Keita was unaware of the driver’s licence status, remained at the scene and cooperated with police by providing the driver’s details. The club are carrying out further internal checks.
The newspaper reported that the driver could face a fine of up to €15,000. It also raised the possibility of a separate penalty for Keita for allegedly allowing someone without a valid licence to drive the vehicle.
FIPAV: Manfredi receives Italy’s highest sporting honour
Giuseppe Manfredi has been awarded the Collare d’Oro al Merito Sportivo, Italy’s highest sporting honour, at the Giulio Onesti Olympic Training Centre in Rome.
The FIPAV president dedicated the award to the volleyball community and everyone working to develop the sport.
The ceremony also recognised achievements at the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic and Paralympic Games, alongside the year’s world championship successes. Those attending included CONI president Luciano Buonfiglio, Sports Minister Andrea Abodi and Italian Paralympic Committee president Marco Giunio De Sanctis.
Women’s volleyball: Conegliano take part in lifesaving training
Prosecco DOC Imoco Conegliano players and staff have completed basic life support and defibrillation training with the Italian Resuscitation Council as part of the VIVA! awareness campaign, which runs from 12 to 18 October.
The course covered chest compressions and the use of a defibrillator. IRC trainers also held first-aid demonstrations for supporters at the Palaverde before Conegliano’s match against Busto Arsizio.
In Serie A3, Passione Valdarno Volley rounded off their pre-season programme with a win over Garlasco and a defeat by hosts Aduna Padova. Carola Colombino’s injury remains under assessment.
Valdarno begin their league campaign at home to Concorezzo on Sunday 18 October at 17:00.
