Lega Volley Femminile A1 2025/26
The Olympic champion delivered 32 points and helped her team inflict their first defeat of the season upon their long-time rivals in the national league.
Egonu delivered her most productive match of the season, making a crucial difference for Milano.
Prosecco Doc Imoco Conegliano`s incredible time as the only undefeated team in the 2025-2026 Lega Femminile Serie A1 Tigotà came to an end on Saturday. After 16 consecutive victories, the reigning champions were finally taken down.
Playing in front of over 5,000 enthusiastic fans at the Allianz Cloud, Numia Vero Volley Milano, fueled by a sensational performance from star opposite Paola Egonu, defeated the Panthers 3-1 (22-25, 25-19, 31-29, 25-20). This crucial victory echoed Milano`s previous success against Conegliano during the Supercoppa Italiana Fineco in October.
Despite the defeat, Conegliano maintains a secure lead at the top of the standings with 46 points (16 wins, one loss), holding a three-point advantage over second-placed Savino Del Bene Scandicci. Milano`s position remains fifth, but they now stand on 37 points (12 wins, five losses), placing them within striking distance of Igor Gorgonzola Novara (39) and Reale Mutua Fenera Chieri `76 (38).
Milano`s captain, Egonu, was justly awarded the match MVP title after delivering her most prolific performance of the season, generating an outstanding 32 points for her team, including 31 kills and one block. She received strong offensive support from American outside hitter Khalia Lanier, who scored 14 points (all kills), and Serbian middle blocker Hena Kurtagić, who added 12 points through five kills, five blocks, and two aces.
Libero Eleonora Fersino commented on the win: “I’m very happy for the team, the club, and the fans, because tonight we showed what we can achieve. We were going through a difficult period after our defeat to Vallefoglia, but we returned to the gym with the right mindset and focused on our work. Although we didn`t start the first set perfectly, we fought back and finished it much better. After that, I think we did an excellent job of imposing our style of play, even though Conegliano also performed well.”
For Conegliano, the Brazilian star outside hitter Gabriela `Gabi` Guimarães served as their primary offensive weapon, topping the team with 18 points (all kills). She was followed by Swedish opposite Isabelle Haak with 15 points. Chinese outside hitter Zhu Ting also hit double digits with 11 points (ten kills, one block), as did Olympic champion middle blocker Marina Lubian, who scored ten points (six kills, three blocks, one ace).
Scandicci Closes Gap After Dominant Victory
World champions Scandicci benefited from Conegliano`s first defeat, narrowing the margin between the two teams to just three points. This was thanks to their commanding 3-0 victory (25-21, 25-13, 25-17) over Il Bisonte Firenze on Friday, marking their seventh consecutive positive result this season.
American Olympic medalist outside hitter Avery Skinner powered Scandicci`s offense with 19 points (18 kills, one ace), four points ahead of star opposite Ekaterina Antropova. Jolien Knollema, the Dutch national team outside hitter, was Firenze`s leading scorer with 12 points (11 kills, one block).
In other weekend action, third-placed Novara faced a tough challenge at home, requiring five sets (25-23, 23-25, 18-25, 25-18, 15-12) to overcome Bergamo. Fourth-placed Chieri managed their road game efficiently, topping Eurotek Laica UYBA Busto Arsizio 3-1 (25-20, 33-31, 19-25, 25-22).
Further results from the fourth leg of the second round included Megabox Ondulati Del Savio Vallefoglia sweeping Omag-Mt San Giovanni In Marignano (25-19, 25-20, 28-26); Honda Cuneo Granda Volley beating Wash4Green Monviso Volley 3-1 (24-26, 25-19, 25-15, 25-23); and CBF Balducci HR Macerata triumphing over Bartoccini-Mc Restauri Perugia in a dramatic tie-breaker (22-25, 29-27, 25-22, 18-25, 15-13).
The Italian League will resume following the New Year celebrations, with the first two matches of the fifth leg of the second round scheduled for Saturday, January 3, and the remaining five fixtures taking place the following day.
Oliver Wrenwick