WNT Update: Undefeated in Italy

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (Nov. 17, 2023) – Women’s volleyball leagues overseas are in full swing, not to mention the CEV tournaments.

ITALY

Prosecco Doc Imoco Conegliano with outside hitters Kelsey Cook, Kathryn Plummer and Khalia Lanier and setter Madi Bugg is the only undefeated team in the league at 6-0 after beating Il Bisonte Firenze, 3-0 (25-15, 25-21, 25-17) on Nov. 12.

Plummer scored 14 points on 12 kills, one block and one ace. Bugg scored one point on a kill and set Conegliano to a .563 hitting efficiency. Cook played as a substitute and Lanier did not play. U.S. middle blocker Lauren Stivrins scored 11 points on nine kills, one block and one ace.

Middle blocker Dana Rettke, outside hitter Kara Bajema and Allianz Vero Volley Milano (5-1) handed Igor Gorgonzola Novara its first loss of the season on Nov. 12, winning 3-1 (25-16, 23-25, 25-23, 25-21). Rettke scored 14 points on five kills, four blocks and four aces. Bajema scored one point as a substitute.

Reale Mutua Fenera Chieri ’76 (4-2) with outside hitters Avery Skinner and Madi Kingdon Rishel beat Volley Bergamo 1991, 3-2 (23-25, 25-23, 18-25, 25-15, 15-11). Skinner led Chieri with 20 points on 18 kills, one block and one ace. Kingdon Rishel scored 12 points on 11 kills and one ace.

Honda Olivero S.Bernardo Cuneo (3-4) with middle blocker Anna Hall and outside hitter Madi Kubik fell to Itas Trentino 3-2 (25-22, 23-25, 28-26, 23-25, 15-13). Hall started the first two sets and scored four points on one kill and three blocks. Kubik started the final three sets and scored 18 points on 17 kills and one block.

Trasportipesanti Casalmaggiore (2-5) with setter Micha Hancock fell to Uyba Volley Busto Arsizio, 3-1 (25-20, 25-16, 17-25, 26-24) on Nov. 12. Hancock scored one point on one ace. She set her team to a .313 hitting efficiency.

Savino Del Bene Scandicci (5-2) with middle blocker Haleigh Washington beat Megabox Ond. Savio Vallefoglia on Nov. 12, 3-0 (25-23, 25-14, 25-21). Washington did not play.

TÜRKIYE

U.S. outside hitter Ali Frantti led VakifBank (8-0) with 12 points in their victory on Nov. 11 over Çukurova Belediye Adana Demirspor (1-6), 3-0 (25-19, 25-20, 25-21).

Frantti scored 12 points on eight kills, two blocks and two aces. Opposite Jordan Thompson played as a substitute and scored four points on three kills and an ace. Middle Chiaka Ogbogu did not play. Ogbogu leads the league in kill percentage at 58 percent.

Kuzeyboru (5-2) with outside hitter Sarah Wilhite Parsons beat Karayollari (0-7), 3-0 (25-20, 26-24, 25-18) on Nov. 11. Wilhite Parsons did not play.

Opposite Stephanie Samedy and Muratpaşa Bld. Sigorta Shop (4-3) fell to Fenerbahce Opet, 3-1 (22-25, 25-23, 25-13, 25-16) on Nov. 11. Samedy led her team’s scoring with 22 points on 21 kills and one ace.

Setter Lauren Carlini and Aydın Büyükşehir Belediyespor (2-5) battled to a win over Galatasaray Daikin (2-5) with opposite Danielle Cuttino, outside hitter Logan Eggleston and middle blocker Heather Gneiting, 3-2 (25-23, 18-25, 25-16, 23-25, 16-14) on Nov. 12.

Carlini scored seven points on three kills, three blocks and an ace. She set her team to a .350 hitting efficiency. Cuttino scored 27 points on 26 kills and one block. Eggleston started the first three sets and scored 10 points on 10 kills. Gneiting started the final two sets and scored one point on a block.

GERMANY

U.S. libero Justine Wong-Orantes and SC Potsdam (4-1) beat Wong-Orantes’ former team, Wiesbaden, 3-1 (25-22, 20-25, 25-18, 25-22) on Nov. 11. Wong-Orantes was credited with 17 receptions, 47 percent positive. U.S. opposite Danielle Harbin scored 12 points on nine kills and three blocks for Potsdam and middle blocker Breland Morrissette added eight points on three kills, three blocks and two aces.

U.S. outside hitter Jaidyn Blanchfield scored nine points on eight kills and one block for Wiesbaden. U.S. middle blocker Rachel Joy Anderson added 13 points on seven kills, four blocks and two aces.

Middle Kayla Haneline and Allianz MTV Stuttgart (5-0) beat VC Neuwied 77 on Nov. 11, 3-0 (25-18, 25-20, 25-12). Haneline started the second and third sets and scored six points on four kills and two blocks.

Libero Zoe Fleck and USC Münster (1-4) fell to SSC Palmberg Schwerin, 3-0 (25-17, 25-17, 25-19) on Nov. 11. Fleck was credited with 18 receptions, 44 percent positive. Opposite Gloria Mutiri started the first set and scored three points on three kills. Setter Jenna Ewert played as a substitute and scored one point with a kill.

JAPAN

Opposite Annie Drews and JT Marvelous (8-0) went 2-0 in their last two matches.

On Nov. 11, JT Marvelous beat the Kurobe Aqua Fairies, 3-0 (25-20, 25-20, 25-13). Drews scored 13 points on 10 kills and three blocks. On Nov. 12, JT Marvelous beat PFU Blue Cats 3-1 (22-25, 25-23, 25-16, 25-22). Drews scored 19 points on 17 kills and two blocks.

BRAZIL

Setter Jenna Gray and Gerdau Minas (2-0) beat Brasília Vôlei 3-0 (25-23, 25-23, 25-23) on Nov. 14. Gray was named the match MVP after scoring one point with a block and setting the team to a .372 hitting efficiency.

Middle blocker Brionne Butler and Osasco São Cristovão Saúde (1-1) fell to Unilife Volei Maringa, 3-1 (25-21, 25-20, 21-25, 25-19) on Nov. 15. Butler played as a substitute.

Outside hitter Roni Jones Perry led all scorers with 26 points as her team SESC RJ Flamengo (1-0) beat Barueri Volleyball Club 3-2 (25-15, 21-25, 25-17, 17-25, 15-9) on Nov. 15. Jones Perry scored on 24 kills and two aces.

FRANCE

Opposite Taylor Mims and Nantes (5-1) beat France Avenir 2024 3-1 (26-28, 25-11, 25-22, 25-15) on Nov. 11. Mims played as a substitute and scored four points on four kills.

ROMANIA

Setter Ashley Evans and CSM Bucuresti beat CS Stiinta Bacau, 3-0 (25-16, 25-11, 25-19) on Nov. 11. Evans started the first two sets and scored three points on two blocks and one ace. She helped set Bucuresti to a .367 hitting efficiency.

CEV CHAMPIONS LEAGUE

On Nov. 14, Dana Rettke, Kara Bajema and Italy’s Allianz Vero Volley Milano moved to 2-0 in Champions League Pool A with a 3-0 (25-11, 25-12, 25-22) win over France’s Volley Mulhouse Alsace. Bajema totaled 12 points on five kills, five blocks and two aces. Rettke scored six points on four kills and two blocks.

Frantti, Ogbogu, Thompson and Türkiye’s VakifBank improved to 2-0 in Pool A by beating Serbia’s Jedinstvo Stara Pazova, 3-0 (25-15, 25-17, 25-14) on Nov. 15. Frantti totaled 18 points on 16 kills and two blocks. Ogbogu finished with 11 points on eight kills, two aces and a block. Thompson scored one point on a kill.

Haleigh Washington scored 10 points as Italy’s Savino Del Bene Scandicci beat Hungary’s Vasas Obuda Budapest, 3-0 (25-18, 25-18, 25-22) in Pool B on Nov. 15. Washington scored on eight kills, one block and one ace and Scandicci improved to 2-0.

Germany’s SC Potsdam with libero Justin Wong-Orantes fell to Fenerbahce Opet Istanbul, 3-0 (25-18, 25-20, 25-19) on Nov. 14. Wong-Orantes was credited with 45 percent positive receptions.

In Pool D, Prosecco Doc Imoco Conegliano with Kelsey Cook, Kathryn Plummer, Khalia Lanier and Madi Bugg improved to 2-0 with a win over Germany’s Allianz MTV Stuttgart, 3-1 (21-25, 25-19, 25-20, 25-18) on Nov. 15. Cook scored 21 points on 16 kills, three aces and two blocks. Plummer scored 16 points on 11 kills, four aces and one block and was named the match MVP. Lanier scored one point and Bugg did not score.

CEV CUP

Italy’s Reale Mutua Fenera Chieri ’76 with Avery Skinner and Madi Kingdon Rishel advanced to the Round of Eight teams after sweeping two matches against Switzerland’s FKB Power Cats Düdingen. In the second match on Nov. 14, Chieri won 3-0 (27-25, 25-7, 25-14). Kingdon Rishel scored 13 points on 13 kills. Skinner did not score.

CEV CHALLENGE CUP

Türkiye’s Galatasaray Daikin Istanbul with Danielle Cuttino, Logan Eggleston and Heather Gneiting advanced to the round of eight after sweeping Finland’s Hämeenlinna LR. In the second match on Nov. 16, Istanbul won 3-0 (25-14, 25-15, 25-14). Eggleston totaled 11 points on 11 kills. Cuttino scored 10 points on six kills, two blocks and two aces. Gneiting added nine points on three kills, three blocks and three aces.

Ashley Evans and Romania’s CSM Bucuresti also advanced with a sweep of Hungary’s Fatum Nyíregyháza. In the second match on Nov. 15, Bucuresti won 3-0 (25-17, 25-11, 25-18). Evans scored five points on four aces and one kill. Bucuresti scored on 44 kills.

Taylor Mims and France’s Neptunes Nantes advanced to the round of eight with a sweep of Czech Republic’s PVK Olymp Praha, 3-0 (25-23, 25-19, 25-13) on Nov. 14. Mims scored 19 points on 14 kills, four aces and one block.