Daily Volleyball News - October 27: Ganev explains Keita citizenship plan, Barotto returns

Lubo Ganev has revealed why Bulgaria’s plan to recruit Noumory Keita stalled, while Tommaso Barotto marked his return to SuperLega after almost seven months on the sidelines. Elsewhere, Basil Dermaux topped the second-round scoring charts, two unbeaten sides prepare to meet in women’s Serie A1, and CONI’s latest census highlights volleyball’s place among Italy’s most widely played sports.

International: Ganev explains why Bulgaria’s Keita plan fell through

Bulgarian Volleyball Federation president Lubo Ganev has confirmed that a citizenship application for Noumory Keita was initiated in 2020, with the Mali-born outside hitter keen to represent Bulgaria.

According to Ganev, the project depended on Keita living and playing in the country for at least three consecutive years before he could join the national team. That prospect became financially unrealistic when more lucrative offers arrived from South Korea and Italy.

No Bulgarian club could match those terms, Ganev said, leaving the federation unable to secure the extended stay on which the plan relied. Keita, now 25 and playing for Verona, could become eligible to represent Italy from 2027, subject to obtaining Italian citizenship.

In France, Yanis Marion made his top-flight debut for Saint-Nazaire at just 16 years, two months and 16 days. The outside hitter, born on 9 August 2010, featured in the fourth and fifth sets against Poitiers.

Incomplete historical records prevent his appearance from being confirmed as an outright league record, but he ranks among the youngest players to have competed in the French first division.

SuperLega: Dermaux leads the scoring, Barotto makes his return

Basil Dermaux delivered the second round’s highest individual tally, scoring 32 points, including 25 kills, as Allianz Milano beat Cuneo 3-2 to claim their first victory of the season.

Cuneo’s Hossein Poriya set a personal SuperLega best with 23 points, while Nathan Feral added 21. Milano setter Simone Porro earned MVP honours after serving five aces, and Tatsunori Otsuka led the round’s blocking charts with five.

Milano also topped the team statistics with 15 blocks and 83 points, while their 11 aces were matched by Civitanova. Perugia posted the round’s best attack success rate, converting 56.5 per cent of their attempts in a straight-sets victory over Prata.

There were individual milestones elsewhere: Aleksandar Nikolov overtook Tsvetan Sokolov to move into seventh place on Civitanova’s all-time scoring list, while Gabriele Laurenzano made his 150th league appearance for Trentino.

Barotto back on court after injury lay-off

Tommaso Barotto scored ten points, including a block, and converted 50 per cent of his attacks on his return for Cisterna against Trentino.

The opposite had not played since 8 April. An osteochondral knee problem was followed by another setback in pre-season, when he fractured the fifth metacarpal in his right hand.

After a brief appearance in the opening set, Barotto returned early in the second and remained on court for the rest of the match. Cisterna next host Piacenza on Sunday.

Women’s Serie A1: Unbeaten Conegliano and Vallefoglia set for showdown

Two high-profile fixtures complete the fifth round on Wednesday, with Conegliano hosting Vallefoglia and Scandicci taking on Novara.

The meeting at the Palaverde pits two unbeaten teams against each other. Conegliano have taken the maximum 12 points from four matches without dropping a set, while Vallefoglia sit one point behind, having needed a tie-break in one of their four victories.

In Florence, Massimo Barbolini returns to face Scandicci in his new role as Novara head coach.

The match also brings together two of Serie A1’s leading scorers. Scandicci opposite Van Ryk has registered 91 points and nine aces, while Novara’s Tolok has contributed 81 points and eight aces.

Italian volleyball: Registrations approach 360,000 in CONI census

The 2024 CONI census recorded 359,797 registered volleyball players in Italy, placing the sport ahead of basketball, with 320,769, and athletics, with 292,599.

Volleyball ranked behind football and the combined tennis-and-padel federation, both of which exceeded one million registered members. The figures refer to 2024, rather than the current season.

FIPAV has also clarified the participation rules for its 2026/27 youth competitions. Players may enter no more than three eligible youth championships during the season and take part in a maximum of two youth matches per Monday-to-Sunday week.

Being named on the official CAMP3 team sheet counts towards that weekly limit, even when the player does not take the court.