WNT Update: Italian Cup Winners

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (February 10, 2023) – It was another big week for U.S. players competing for professional clubs around the world.

ITALY

Prosecco Doc Imoco Conegliano with outside hitters Kelsey (Robinson) Cook and Kathryn Plummer and opposite Stephanie Sameday won the Italian Cup on January 29. In the final, Conegliano beat Vero Volley Milano with outside hitter Jordan Larson, opposite Jordan Thompson and middle blocker Dana Rettke, 3-0 (25-17, 25-23, 25-19).

Cook and Plummer each scored 10 points for Conegliano. Cook had 10 kills (.500 hitting efficiency) and Plummer scored on nine kills and one block. Cook had 17 receptions, 76 percent positive and Plummer had 19 receptions, 68 percent positive. Samedy, who just joined Cengliano, was not on the roster for the tournament. Thompson led Milano with 17 points on 16 kills and one block. Larson scored two points on two kills and had seven receptions, 71 percent positive. Rettke played as a substitute and scored two points on two blocks.

Conegliano (16-1) continued to win in the regular season as it beat Reale Mutua Fenera Chieri (12-5) with middle Brionne Butler 3-2 (25-27, 21-25, 25-21, 25-17, 15-9) on February 4. Cook started the final three sets for Conegliano and scored 11 points on nine kills, one block and one ace. Plummer played as a substitute and scored one point on one kill. Butler played as a substitute for Chieri.

Vero Volley Milano (13-4) beat Bartoccini-Fortinfissi Perugia (3-14), 3-1 (24-26, 25-20, 26-24, 25-11) on February 4. Rettke led her team with 18 points on a match-high eight blocks with nine kills and one ace. Larson scored 15 points on 10 kills, three blocks and two aces. Thompson started the fourth set and scored five points on four kills and one block.

Setter Carli Lloyd and E-Work Busto Arsizio (7-10) fell to Igor Gorgonzola Novara (14-3), 3-2 (17-25, 26-24, 23-25, 26-24, 15-10) on February 4. Lloyd scored three points on two kills and one block. She set the team to a .342 hitting efficiency. American outside hitter McKenzie Adams led Novara with 19 points on 16 kills and three blocks.

Volley Bergamo (8-9) with outside hitter Mac May beat Cuneo Granda S.Bernardo (6-11) with middle Anna Hall, 3-2 (25-20, 19-25, 16-25, 25-23, 15-10) on February 5. May started the third set and score two points on two kills. She was credited with 14 receptions. 43 percent positive. Hall scored 10 points on nine kills and one block. Outside hitter Dani Drews was on the roster for Bernardo, but did not play.

Megabox Ond. Savio Vallefoglia (7-10) with opposite Annie Drews and setter Micha Hancock beat Wash4green Pinerolo (2-15), 3-1 (29-27, 15-25, 28-26, 25-16). Drews scored 14 points on 13 kills and one ace. Hancock scored five points on four kills and one ace. She set her team to a .320 hitting efficiency.

Savino Del Bene Scandicci with middle Haleigh Washington beat Trasportipesanti Casalmaggiore with setter Lauren Carlini and outside Ali Frantti 3-1 (17-25, 25-21, 25-22, 25-21) on February 4. Washington scored 12 points on nine kills (.563) and three blocks. Frantti led her team with 20 points on 18 kills and two blocks. She had 35 receptions, 69 percent positive. Carlini scored nine points on seven kills and two blocks and set her team to a .304 hitting efficiency.

Middle Rhamat Alhassan and Il Bisonte Firenze (7-10) beat Cbf Balducci Hr Macerata (2-15), 3-0 (25-23, 25-18, 25-23) on January 5. Alhassan started the third set and scored seven points on five kills and two blocks.

TÜRKIYE

All U.S. players competing in Türkiye have reported that they are safe after the massive earthquake that hit the country and Syria on Monday morning. CEV competitions scheduled for Turkiyë this week have been postponed. USA Volleyball sends its condolences to all those affected by the earthquake.

VakifBank (15-2), with middles Chiaka Ogbogu and Kara Bajema, fell to Fenerbahçe Opet (17-0), 3-0 (25-20, 25-18, 33-31) on February 5. Ogbogu scored 11 points on eight kills (.500) and three blocks. Bajema started the third set and scored six points on five kills and one ace.

Logan Eggleston and Galatasaray HDI Sigorta (12-5) beat Sigorta Shop (3-14), 3-2 (25-16, 25-16, 23-25, 18-25, 15-13) on February 4. Eggleston scored 13 points on 13 kills. U.S. opposite Kelsie Payne led Sigorta Shop with 23 points on 22 kills and one block.

Middle Tori Dixon and Bolu Bld. (2-15) lost to Aydın Büyükşehir Belediyespor (8-9), 3-1 (23-25, 25-22, 25-12, 25-18) on February 5. Dixon scored nine points on eight kills and one block.

JAPAN

Hannah Tapp left Hitachi Astemo Rivale and returned to the United States due to an injury.

On February 4, opposite Karsta Lowe led JT Marvelous (17-5) with 22 points on 20 kills and two blocks in a 3-0 (25-17, 25-16, 25-20) win over the PFU Blue Cats (9-13).

On February 5, opposite Danielle Cuttino led the Toyota Auto Body Queenseis (11-11) with 21 points in a 3-1 (22-25, 25-20, 25-16, 25-20) loss to the Kurobe Aqua Fairies. Cuttino scored on 19 kills and two blocks.

FRANCE

Terville-Florange (12-6) with libero Kendall White, opposite Taylor Fricano, setter Taira Ke’Alohilani Robins-Hardy and outside hitter Shannon Scully fell to Pays d’Aix Venelles (9-9), 3-1 (25-21, 23-25, 26-24, 25-23) on February 4. American opposite Samantha Dreschel led Pays d’Aix Venelles with 24 points on 21 kills, two blocks and one ace. Setter August Raskie scored two points on a kill and block and set her team to a .391 hitting efficiency. Scully led Terville-Florange with 21 points on 20 kills and one block. Fricano added 16 points on 13 kills, one block and two aces. Robins-Hardy started the final two sets and scored two points on two kills. She helped her team to a .320 hitting efficiency. White was credited with 13 receptions.

Beziers (12-6) with U.S. libero Justine Wong-Orantes, setter Madison Lilley, outside hitter Avery Skinner and middles Blake Mohler and Izzy Fichtel fell to Le Cannet (12-6) on February 4, 3-2 (23-25, 25-17, 21-25, 25-22, 15-10). Wong-Orantes had 23 receptions, 35 percent positive. Skinner led her team with 23 points on 20 kills (.436) and a match-high three blocks. Lilley scored two points on an ace and block and set the team to a .386 hitting efficiency. Mohler scored seven points on five kills and two blocks.

Cannes (9-9) with setter Jenna Gray, outside hitter Carli Snyder and middles Madeleine Gates and Claire Felix fell to Mulhouse on February 4 , 3-1 (25-19, 25-23, 17-25, 25-19). Snyder totaled 13 points on 11 kills and two aces. Gates scored 12 points on seven kills, three blocks and two aces. Felix added 10 points on seven kills and three blocks. Gray scored four points on two kills, one block and one ace. She set Cannes to a .270 hitting efficiency.

GERMANY

Ladies in Black Aachen (7-6) with setter Ashley Evans fell to SC Potsdam (13-1) on February 4, 3-1 (25-19, 25-13, 15-25, 34-32). Evans scored four points on three blocks and one kill.

CEV TOURNAMENTS

Italy’s Prosecco Doc Imoco Conegliano finished pool play 6-0 in the CEV Champions League, beating Poland’s KS DevelopRes Rzeszów in the final match 3-0 (25-20, 25-17, 25-16) on February 8. Plummer scored 14 points on 13 kills (.684) and one ace. She had 27 receptions, 37 percent positive.  Cook added six points on six kills. She had 11 receptions, 82 percent positive. Stephanie Sameday was on the roster but did not play.

Italy’s Vero Volley Milano finished its pool 5-1 at Champions League. On February 8, it beat Volero Le Cannet of France 3-1 (23-25, 26-24, 25-18, 25-15) in its final pool play match. Rettke led the team scoring with 14 points on 10 kills (.667), three blocks and one ace. Thompson started the first two sets and scored nine points on eight kills and one ace. Larson started the first two sets and scored four points on two kills and two blocks.

Due to the earthquake in Turkey, Vakifbank Istanbul’s match against Italy’s Ogor Gorgonzola Novara has been postponed until February 15. Each team is 4-1.

In the CEV Challenge Cup, Italy’s Reale Mutua Fenera Chieri with middle Brionne Butler advanced to the semifinals after going 2-0 against Netherlands’ Sliedrecht Sport in the quarterfinals.