NOVARA claim highly anticipated Italian derby in #CEVChallengeCupW
News
On Thursday night two Italian teams locked horns in the qualification round of the women’s Challenge Cup. This rather unusual matchup at such an early stage of the competition featured Igor Gorgonzola NOVARA, winners of the WEVZA Cup only a few weeks ago, and VBC Saviola CASALMAGGIORE. These two teams are both former winners of the elite CEV Champions League Volley – NOVARA triumphed at the very first Super Finals held in Berlin in 2019, whereas CASALMAGGIORE lifted the trophy when they hosted the Final Four at Montichiari in 2016.
With both clubs claiming Italian national league titles in their history as well, this matchup coincided with CASALMAGGIORE’s debut in the CEV Challenge Cup. Igor Gorgonzola NOVARA, on the other hand, had already joined this competition in 2015, when they reached the quarterfinals. Playing under the watchful eyes of Volleyball legend Julio Velasco, NOVARA secured a 3-0 home victory (25-21, 25-22, 25-16) with MVP Vita Akimova contributing as many as 18 points, including nine scored in the second set alone. It was a special matchup for many of the players on the court: NOVARA’s Caterina Bosetti and Ludovica Guidi had previously played in Casalmaggiore, whereas both Malwina Smarzek and Micha Hancock had worn the shirt of NOVARA earlier in their careers.
Lorenzo Pintus“We did lead up until the last metre before the finish line, so to speak, but then, with their individual skills, they overtook us in the final moments of the first two sets. This should be a great lesson for us. This tournament includes a return match, which allows us to make a significant leap in quality right from the start of the season, regardless of the result. Playing at home next Thursday in front of our fans can be the extra boost to do even better.”
Assistant coach of VBC Saviola CASALMAGGIORE
Ludovica Guidi, middle blocker of Igor Gorgonzola NOVARA: “I believe that once again we proved our great character, including the ability not to let the score slip away from us in difficult moments. We started well our European campaign, but this is just the first small step. There is a return match ahead that will not be easy at all, especially because it is an away game. They will try to change their game to make things even more challenging for us.”
Lorenzo Bernardi“It is certainly crucial to have started with a 3-0 victory. However, it is normal that in this phase, we are not yet able to consistently show our best game, as the team and the staff changed a lot during the summer. It takes time. I would like also to point out our ability to stay in the game during challenging and negative moments, reacting and turning things around.”
Head coach of Igor Gorgonzola NOVARA
