WNT Update: Teams with U.S. Players Battle in Italy

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (Jan. 25, 2023) – It was another busy week for U.S. women’s volleyball players competing for professional club teams overseas.

ITALY

Setter Lauren Carlini, outside hitter Ali Frantti and Trasportipesanti Casalmaggiore (9-7) beat Cuneo Granda S.Bernardo with middle Anna Hall and outside hitter Dani Drews, 3-1 (26-24, 17-25, 25-20, 25-22) on January 22. Frantti led her team with 26 points on 22 kills, two blocks and two aces. She had 29 receptions, 66 percent positive. Carlini scored three points on three kills and set her team to a .301 efficiency. Hall started the first three sets and scored five points on four kills and one block. Drews played as a substitute.

Prosecco Doc Imoco Conegliano (15-1) with outside hitters Kelsey (Robinson) Cook and Kathryn Plummer welcomed U.S. opposite Stephanie Sameday last week. On January 21, it beat Megabox Ond. Savio Vallefoglia (6-10) with opposite Annie Drews and setter Micha Hancock 3-1 (25-27, 25-18, 25-17, 25-20). Plummer scored 12 points on 11 kills and one block. She was credited with 26 receptions, 38 percent positive. Cook played as a substitute. Samedy also played as a substitute and scored two points on two kills. Drews led her team with 17 points on 16 kills and one block. Hancock scored three points on three kills. She set Vallefoglia to a .292 hitting efficiency.

Igor Gorgonzola Novara (13-3) with outside hitter Mckenzie Adams beat middle blocker Haleigh Washington and Savino Del Bene Scandicci (12-4), 3-2 (30-32, 27-25, 25-22, 18-25, 15-8). Adams scored 17 points on 14 kills, two aces and one block. Washington scored nine points on five kills and four blocks.

Outside hitter Mac May and Volley Bergamo 1991 (7-9) beat Vero Volley Milano (12-4) with outside hitter Jordan Larson, opposite Jordan Thompson and middle Dana Rettke 3-2 (14-25, 25-17, 23-25, 25-19, 16-14) on January 22. May played as a substitute. Larson and Thompson each scored 10 points on eight kills and two aces. Rettke started the fourth and fifth sets and scored eight points on eight kills.

Setter Carli Lloyd and E-Work Busto Arsizio (7-9) beat Bartoccini-Fortinfissi Perugia (3-13) 3-0 (25-17, 25-14, 25-19) on January 21. Lloyd scored two points on two kills and set Arsizio to a .420 hitting efficiency.

Il Bisonte Firenze (6-10) with middle Rhamat Alhassan beat Wash4green Pinerolo (2-14) 3-2 (20-25, 21-25, 25-16, 25-23, 17-15) on January 22. Alhassan started the final four sets and scored 13 points on eight kills and five blocks.

Play in the Italian Cup began January 24 as Procecco Doc Imoco Conegliano beat Cuneo Granda S.Bernardo, 3-0 (25-12, 25-19, 25-12). Cook scored 14 points on 11 kills, two aces and one block. She had seven receptions, 57 percent positive. Plummer added 10 points on seven kills, two blocks and one ace. She had 15 receptions, 60 percent positive.

Matches will continue January 25 as Igor Gorganzola Novara will face Reale Mutua Fenera Chieri; Savino Del Bene Scandicci will play Volley Bergamo 1991 and Vero Volley Milano will face Trasportipesanti Casalmaggiore.

Matches are being shown on Volleyball World TV.

TURKIYË

VakifBank (14-1) won both its league matches since returning from the winter break. On January 22, Vakifbank beat Sigorta Shop 3-0 (27-25, 25-16, 25-15). Outside hitter Kara Bajema scored 13 points on nine kills, two blocks and two aces. She had nine receptions, 44 percent positive. U.S. opposite Kelsie Payne started the first two sets for Sigorta Shop and scored 10 points on nine kills and one ace. Payne is second in the league in overall scoring.

Outside hitter Madi Kingdon Rishel scored 32 points for Türk Hava Yollari (10-5) in a loss to undefeated Eczacıbaşı Dynavit (15-0) 3-2 (32-30, 27-29, 22-25, 25-21, 15-13) on January 21. Rishel scored on 29 kills (.527) and three blocks. She also had 31 receptions, 42 percent positive.

Middle Tori Dixon and Bolu Bld. (2-13) fell to PTT (5-10) 3-0 (25-19, 25-14, 25-21) on January 21. Dixon scored nine points on six kills and three blocks.

University of Texas standout outside hitter and AVCA 2022 Player of the Year Logan Eggleston is now playing with Galatasaray HDI Sigorta. On January 21, she led her team with 25 points in its victory over Cukurova BLD. Adana Demirspor, 3-1 (25-18, 22-25, 25-19, 25-23). Eggleston scored on 22 kills, two aces and one block.

JAPAN

Opposite Karsta Lowe and league-leading JT Marvelous (15-3) beat Hitachi Astemo Rivale (7-11) and middle Hannah Tapp 3-2 (25-19, 25-22,20-25, 15-25, 18-16) on January 21.

U.S. outside hitter Sarah Wilhite Parsons and the NEC Red Rockets (12-4) fell to the Toray Arrows 3-2 (21-25, 21-25, 25-20, 25-22, 15-10).

The Toyota Auto Body Queenseis (10-8) with U.S. opposite Danielle Cuttino beat Himeji Victorina 3-2 (19-25, 25-23, 25-17, 23-25, 15-9) on January 21.

FRANCE

Terville-Florange (10-4) with libero Kendall White, opposite Taylor Fricano, setter Taira Ke’Alohilani Robins-Hardy and outside hitter Shannon Scully beat Vandoeuvre Nancy 3-0 (25-23, 25-22, 25-22) on January 21. White was credited with 12 receptions, 25 percent positive. Fricano scored nine points on six kills, two blocks and one ace. Scully added nine points on eight kills and one ace. She had 18 receptions, 83 percent positive. Robins-Hardy played as a substitute.

For Nancy (7-9), middle Lauren Page scored three points and middle Shayla Hoeft played as a substitute.

Beziers (11-5) with U.S. libero Justine Wong-Orantes, setter Madison Lilley, outside hitter Avery Skinner and middles Blake Mohler and Izzy Fichtel beat Pays D’Aix Venelles 3-1 (25-19, 22-25, 25-23, 25-18) on January 21. Wong-Orantes was credited with 14 receptions, 57 percent positive. Skinner scored 17 points on 16 kills and one block. Mohler scored eight points on six kills and two blocks. Lilley scored three points on two kills and an ace and set Beziers to a .397 hitting efficiency. She was named the match MVP.

Middle Christina Bauer scored 14 points for Pays D’Aix Venelles (7-9) on 11 kills, two blocks and one ace. Outside hitter Samantha Drechsel added 11 points on 11 kills. Setter August Raskie scored four points on three kills and one block. She set her team to a .383 hitting efficiency.

Cannes (9-7) with setter Jenna Gray, outside hitter Carli Snyder and middles Madeleine Gates and Claire Felix beat France Avenir 2024 3-0 (25-20, 25-17, 25-23) on January 19. Felix scored 11 points on nine kills and two blocks. Gates had eight points on four kills and a match-high four aces. Snyder started the first set and scored five points on five kills. Gray did not play.

GERMANY

Ladies in Black Aachen (7-6) with setter Ashley Evans fell to SSC Palmberg Schwerin on January 21, 3-0 (25-18, 25-18, 25-21). Evans started the third set and scored two points on a kill and a block.

CEV TOURNAMENTS

Italy’s Prosecco Doc Imoco Conegliano with Cook and Plummer improved to 4-0 in Champions League Pool A with a 3-0 (25-15, 25-19, 25-20) win over France’s Volley Mulhouse Alsace on January 18. Cook scored 12 points on 11 kills and one ace. Plummer played as a substitute and scored three points on two kills and a block.

Jordan Thompson led all scorers with 23 points and was named MVP as Vero Volley Milano (3-1) beat Romania’s CS Volei Alba Blaj 3-0 (25-16, 25-18, 25-16) on January 18. Thompson scored on a match-high 17 kills (.500), a match-high five blocks and one ace. Larson added seven points on seven kills (.500) and had 17 receptions, 53 percent positive. Rettke scored six points on three kills, two aces and one block.

Germany’s SC Potsdam surprised Turkey’s VakifBank (3-1) on January 19, winning their match 3-2 (19-25, 19-25, 25-23, 25-20, 15-10). Bajema started the first four sets and scored 11 points on seven kills, two blocks and two aces. She had 21 receptions, 43 percent positive. Ogbogu added seven points on five kills and two blocks.

In the CEV Cup Round of Eight,

Outside hitter Rishel and Turkiyë’s Türk Hava Yollari went 2-0 against France’s Terville-Florange with White, Fricano, Robins-Hardy and Scully. On January 19, THY beat Terville-Florange 3-0 (25-14, 25-20, 25-22). Kingdon started the first two sets and scored seven points on six kills and one block. Fricano led Terville-Florange with 10 points on 10 kills. White was credited with 21 receptions, 57 percent positive. Scully scored five points on five kills. Robins-Hardy played as a substitute and started the third set. She scored two points on two aces.

THY will move on to play Italy’s E-Work Busto Arsizio and Lloyd in the quarterfinals. E-Work Busto went 2-0 over Slovenia’s Nova KBM Branik Maribor. On January 18, Arsizio won 3-0 (25-22, 25-14, 25-17). Lloyd scored four points.

Italy’s Savino Del Bene Scandicci with Washington has also advanced to the quarterfinals. Washington did not play in Scandicci’s 3-1 (25-15, 25-14, 20-25, 25-15)win over Croatia’s Mladost Zagreb on January 17.

Finally, in the Challenge Cup, middle Brionne Butler and Italy’s Reale Mutua Fenera Chieri have advanced to the quarterfinals after going 2-0 against Greece’s Panathinaikos Athens. On January 18, Chieri beat Panathinaikos 3-2 (25-14, 20-25, 25-19, 22-25, 15-10). Butler did not play. U.S. outside hitter Adora Anae scored 17 points on 13 kills, three blocks and one ace for Panathinaikos.