The Courmayeur Cup, a vital preseason tournament, gathers four of Italy`s premier women`s volleyball clubs – Conegliano, Milano, Scandicci, and Novara – this weekend, signaling the start of the Lega Volley Femminile Serie A1 season.
The anticipation for Italy`s club volleyball season, scheduled to begin in early October, is building as the Courmayeur Cup takes center stage this weekend. This traditional preseason event offers fans an early look at the nation`s top teams as they fine-tune their strategies.
Hosted at the Courmayeur Sport Center, the tournament will feature the four strongest teams from last year`s regular season: Prosecco Doc Imoco Conegliano, Numia Vero Volley Milano, Savino del Bene Scandicci, and Igor Gorgonzola Novara. Over two days, these powerhouses will compete in a series of matches.
The semifinals are set for Friday, 26 September. Conegliano will first face Novara at 17:30 local time (15:30 GMT), followed by Milano and Scandicci at 20:30 (18:30 GMT). On Saturday, the teams that lost their semifinals will compete for third place at 16:30 (14:30 GMT), leading up to the championship match at 19:30 (17:30 GMT).
Inaugurated in the 2024-2025 season with the same four contenders, the Courmayeur Cup once again welcomes Italian national team players back to domestic competition, fresh off international triumphs. Last year, the tournament featured eight players from Italy`s Paris Olympics gold-winning squad. This year, it boasts eight players from the team that secured Italy`s second world title in Thailand in September.
Beyond competition, the tournament provides a crucial opportunity for fans to observe the new team rosters and player dynamics following the extensive offseason transfer market.
Team Rosters Spotlight
Defending champions Conegliano have largely maintained their core lineup, retaining key players such as setter Joanna Wołosz, opposite Isabelle Haak, outside hitters Gabriela ‘Gabi’ Guimarães and Zhu Ting, middle blockers Sarah Fahr, Marina Lubian, and Cristina Chirichella, and libero Monica De Gennaro. Notable new additions for 2025-2026 include outside hitters Nika Daalderop and Fatoumatta Sillah.
Milano`s roster sees the return of stars like opposite Paola Egonu, outside hitter Elena Pietrini, middle blockers Anna Danesi and Hena Kurtagić, and libero Juliette Gelin. Newcomers for the season include setter Francesca Bosio (replacing Olympic and world champion Alessia Orro), opposite Vita Akimova, outside hitter Khalia Lanier, middle blocker Benedetta Sartori, and libero Eleonora Fersino.
Scandicci, facing Milano in the semifinals, continues with Serbian star Maja Ognjenović as setter, Olympic and world champion Ekaterina Antropova as opposite, Linda Nwakalor as a middle blocker, and veteran Dominican libero Brenda Castillo. The team has revamped its outside hitter position by bringing back Olympic champion Caterina Bosetti and signing USA national team members Avery Skinner and Sarah Franklin. They`ve also strengthened their middle blocking with German national team captain Camilla Weitzel.
For Novara, the returning stalwarts include opposite Tatiana Tolok, outside hitter Lina Alsmeier, and middle blockers Sara Bonifacio and Federica Squarcini. An exciting array of new talent joins the team, notably Olympic champion setter Carlotta Cambi, Japanese star Mayu Ishikawa, and Belgian powerhouse Britt Herbots as outside hitters, Dutch national team middle blocker Indy Baijens, and veteran libero Giulia Leonardi.
Oliver Wrenwick