Having filed away the Italian Super Cup, Savino Del Bene Volley is ready to return to the field in Serie A1 .
On Wednesday 28 October , at 8.30pm , coach Marco Gaspari's girls will host Igor Gorgonzola Novara at the Pala BigMat in Florence , in the match valid as a recovery of the fifth day of the championship .
The Scandicci team arrives at the match after the 3-1 defeat in the Super Cup final against Prosecco Doc A.Carraro Imoco Coneglian o , at the end of a performance of character and quality, in which they managed to hold their own against the Italian champions.
On the other side of the net, Novara, led by coach Massimo Barbolini, comes into the match after having observed a bye week over the weekend.
The last match played by the Piedmontese team dates back to October 21st, when they beat Omag Consolini Volley 1907 3-0.
A match of significant weight for both teams, two protagonists of the top Italian championship facing each other in a game that could impact their regular season path.
FORMER AND PREVIOUS
In the ranks of Igor Gorgonzola Novara there are four players who in the past played for Savino Del Bene Volley:
Britt Herbots , a spiker born in 1999, has worn the Savino Del Bene Volley jersey for the last two seasons, the second of which she served as captain. While wearing the Scandicci jersey, she reached the 2023-24 Scudetto Final and last season's CEV Champions League final.
Giulia Carraro , A setter born in 1994, she was part of the Savino Del Bene Volley roster in the 2019-2020 season. She also played on the sand for the white-and-blues, winning the Scudetto, Coppa Italia, and Supercoppa Italiana in 4x4 Sand Volleyball.
Benedetta Bartolini , a middle blocker born in 1999, played for Savino Del Bene Volley in the 2021-2022 sports season.
Elena Perinelli , A spiker born in 1995, she played for Savino Del Bene Volley in the 2014-2015 season.
Among the ranks of Savino Del Bene Volley there are five players who have a past with Igor Gorgonzola Novara:
Caterina Bosetti , a spiker born in 1994, played in Novara at two distinct moments in her career: the first time in the 2015-2016 season, and a second, much longer one, from 2020 to 2024, during which she won a WEVZA Cup and a Challenge Cup.
Sofia D'Odorico , a spiker born in 1997, was part of the Igor Gorgonzola Novara roster in two seasons: 2016-2017 and 2021-2022.
Maja Aleksić , a Serbian middle blocker born in 1997, played for Igor Gorgonzola Novara in the 2024-2025 season. She won the CEV Cup with the Piedmontese club.
Sara Alberti , a central defender born in 1993, won the 2016-2017 Scudetto with Igor Gorgonzola Novara.
Imma Sirressi , libero born in 1990, has never played for Igor Gorgonzola Novara, but in the 2009-2010 season she wore the colours of Asystel Novara.
It should also not be forgotten that coach Massimo Barbolini led Savino Del Bene Volley for four seasons, from 2020 to 2024. Under the management of the Modena-born coach, the team reached its first Scudetto final in its history in the 2023-2024 season and won its first two international trophies, winning first in the CEV Challenge Cup and the CEV Cup.
This Wednesday's matchup will be the thirty-second between the two teams. The record in previous matches favors Igor Gorgonzola Novara, with twenty-one wins to Savino Del Bene Volley's ten.
The last league match between the two teams dates back to January 17, 2026, when on the twentieth day of the 2025-2026 Serie A1, Savino Del Bene Volley won with a score of 3-2 .
It should be remembered that the last previous match between the two teams dates back to February 25, 2026, when Scandicci and Novara faced each other in the second leg of the CEV Champions League Play Off round.
Savino Del Bene Volley, defeated 3-1 in the first leg , managed to overturn the outcome of the double challenge by winning the return match 3-1 and prevailing 15-7 in the golden set .
COACH MARCO GASPARI'S WORDS
The championship restarts on Wednesday, and we'll be playing against a team that, like us, has changed quite a bit, or at least modified its playing structure compared to recent seasons. We know they're a highly experienced team, with players accustomed to overcoming difficult moments. We'll therefore need to continue working on the growth of the entire team, a process we've been working on since the start of the season. We're in a phase of growth, but we've seen that in certain situations we still lack the cynicism that the Italian league requires. We know we'll be facing a team that plays with a fast system and, in situations outside of the system, can count on the physicality of Tolok, a player who is sometimes difficult to contain. The team will therefore need to be very effective in serving, organized at blocking and in defense, and try not to get nervous in certain situations.
THE OPPONENTS
Igor Gorgonzola Novara finished the 2025-2026 regular season in fourth place in the Serie A1 standings, with 19 wins and 7 losses. With a total of 55 points, the Piedmontese team qualified for the Scudetto playoffs.
In the 2025-2026 post season challenges Novara eliminated Reale Mutua Fenera Chieri '76 in the quarterfinals , but was then eliminated in three games in the semi-final series against Prosecco Doc A.Carraro Imoco Conegliano .
Last season Novara reached the semi-finals of the Coppa Italia Serie A1, where they were defeated 3-0 by Conegliano .
During the 2025-2026 sporting season, Novara played in the CEV Champions League , being eliminated in the play-off round by Savino Del Bene Volley.
This season, Novara changed its coaching staff. After saying goodbye to coach Bernardi at the end of last season, the Piedmontese club decided to bring back coach Massimo Barbolini , who previously coached Igor Gorgonzola Novara from 2017 to 2020, winning a CEV Champions League, an Italian Super Cup, and two Serie A1 Italian Cups.
As for the roster for the 2026-2027 season, the Piedmontese team started again with the confirmations at the helm of Cambi and Carraro , both in their second year in the Igor Volley jersey.
In the center, captain Bonifacio , in his eleventh season with the club, and Squarcini , in his third consecutive year at Novara, have been confirmed.
Novara has confirmed Belgian Herbots and German Alsmeier on the opposite side. This season, Tolok has also changed her position, having played as an opposite hitter in her first two seasons in Piedmont. This year, she will be deployed at the four position. Last season, the Russian finished third among opposite hitters in terms of average points scored per set, with 5.08.
Among the new additions, the opposite line is enriched by the Belgian Grobelna , born in 1995, returning to Italy after her experience in Turkey with Galatasaray, and the German Weske , born in 2001, who arrives from Bergamo. On the flanks, Perinelli , born in 1995, has arrived, fresh from a season in Perugia.
At center, Igor Volley's big signing is Brazilian middle blocker Kudiess , born in 2003, in her first year in Novara. However, the Brazilian middle blocker is currently unavailable due to a torn anterior cruciate ligament in her left knee, sustained in mid-July during a VNL match with her national team.
To fill Kudiess's absence, the club signed American Awoley on a one-year contract. Finally, Bartolini, born in 1999, who spent four seasons at Perugia, completed the lineup.
Completing the libero roster are Moro , born in 1999, who arrived in Novara after four seasons with Wash4Green Monviso Volley, and Franzoso , born in 2003, making her Serie A1 debut. The latter was signed on October 14th to replace Giulia De Nardi , who transferred to Wash4Green Monviso Volley .
Novara is currently in seventh place in the 2026-2027 championship . Coach Barbolini's team has won two of their four matches so far, suffering a tie-break defeat against Bergamo and a 3-0 defeat away to Numia Vero Volley Milano .
In the last match played, Igor Gorgonzola Novara won the match against Omag Consolini Volley 1907 3-0 .
This Wednesday, Igor Gorgonzola Novara is expected to take the field with the starting six consisting of Cambi as setter, Grobelna as opposite hitter, Tolok and Herbots as spikers, Bonifacio and Squarcini as centers, and Moro as libero.
ON TV
The match between Savino Del Bene Volley and Igor Gorgonzola Novara will be visible live on Rai Sport , DAZN and abroad on YouTube .