Cucine Lube Civitanova returns to training. The Italian powerhouse will officially start its preparations for the 2026/2027 season on Monday, August 24, although head coach Giampaolo Medei will have a significantly reduced squad for the initial sessions.
The first meeting for the volleyball players is scheduled for 8:00 AM at the "Eurosuole Forum" in Civitanova. The program will begin with receiving training equipment, medical examinations, physical assessments, and traditional tests before the actual work commences.
Under the guidance of fitness coach Max Merazzi and head coach Giampaolo Medei, along with his staff, the athletes will gradually increase their workload. The preparation will include gym work, ball drills in the hall, and outdoor training.
Only five first-team players start preparations
On the first day, Medei will be able to rely on five volleyball players from the main squad.
These are libero Francesco Bisotto, outside hitter Davide Gardini, middle blockers Giovanni Gargiulo and Alberto Polo, and setter Davide Zoppellari.
The remaining Lube players are currently engaged with their national teams and will gradually join the club squad in the coming weeks.
This means that the initial phase of preparation will primarily focus on physical conditioning and gradually building up training volume, before Medei gets the opportunity to work with a larger part of the squad.
Five talents from Academy Volley Lube get a chance
The absence of national team players opens up an opportunity for some of the most promising athletes from Academy Volley Lube to train with the first team.
Middle blockers Federico Amadio and Mario Wang, opposite Mattia Penna, as well as outside hitters Diego Gatto and Diego Zamparini will be brought into the preparation.
For the young volleyball players, this will be a valuable opportunity to work directly with Medei and his team and to experience the demands and intensity of training at one of the leading clubs in the Italian SuperLega.
Stankovic and Talevi join at the end of August
At the end of the month, two more young talents are expected to join Lube's training – outside hitter Luka Stankovic and setter Matteo Talevi.
Both are currently part of the Italian U17 national team, which is participating in the World Championship in Doha.
The Italians started their participation in Group B with a convincing 3-0 victory over Romania.
Thus, Lube will use the first weeks of preparation not only for the gradual return of its main volleyball players to club routine but also for the integration of some of the most interesting players from its academy.
Giampaolo Medei's full squad will gradually take shape as national team players complete their commitments in the coming weeks.
