World’s best libero De Gennaro to stick with Imoco
News
With 356 caps across nine straight seasons and her signature on all of the 16 trophies claimed by the club in their still young history, libero Monica ‘Moki’ De Gennaro truly is an icon for the fans of Imoco CONEGLIANO. She joined the team ahead of the 2013-2014 season – and after developing into a role model and possibly the world’s best player in her position, De Gennaro has confirmed that she will be sticking with the ‘Panthers’ for another year.
A real ‘workaholic’ and professional, De Gennaro has become synonymous with the successes achieved by Imoco as well as by the Italian national team. Married to Imoco coach Daniele Santarelli, she has only missed 23 matches since joining the ranks of CONEGLIANO nine years ago. Her figures – 75% positive and 51.2% excellent reception in 356 matches! – make her a standout player not only for Imoco, but on the global stage as well.
De Gennaro is currently in Ankara, Turkey, with Team Italy for the opening stage of the FIVB Volleyball Nations League:
“When I arrived in Conegliano, I was young and I would not have thought I would have stayed there all these years! However, how would do you leave such an environment? The club has shown itself to be at the top. Year after year, there have always been new stimuli, goals to achieve and we have written a success story, which does not end here!”
“In Conegliano I feel at home. The goals are always high, and I am happy to stay with the team. I am never completely satisfied with myself, as there is always something to improve in my game. The only thing that has changed in recent years is that now I have a little more confidence in myself, so many important games played and high-level experiences have made me feel more confident. As a person, I have certainly become more patient.”
As with many other ‘Panthers’, Conegliano has become a special place for De Gennaro as well. “Because the club has grown a lot and take care of everything with much detail, there is a highly professional staff that does not make us miss anything on and off the court. I am proud to enter Palaverde and see all those trophies celebrated with banners hanging from the ceiling. We started winning a few years ago and there are already many, and it is nice to have helped repay the efforts and attention of the club with these victories. Moreover, there is an extraordinary audience, at every match, we feel their warmth and since the re-opening of arenas, it has been exciting to relive their affection. They were just thrilling during the national league finals as well as in Ljubljana. I am very fond of the fans and I really hope that next year they can be with us for the whole season to give us their precious support,” she adds.
De Gennaro did not enjoy much of a break at the end of the club season: “Yes, I immediately joined the national team and we are here in Ankara for the first stage, for now everything is going well, everything is fine, I will have time to rest later after the VNL.”
Imoco is likely to look like a combination of youth and experience for the 2022-2023 season. “With the other ‘veterans’, we will have to welcome the new players. Certainly, we will need some time to adapt to each other, but when there is talent and the desire to do well, everything becomes easier. The club is doing an excellent job in this regard, we will have a very strong team and I really think it will take a little patience at the beginning, but then it will be fun again next season!”