The head coach of Bulgaria will lead his new club team for the first time on Saturday, September 26, in the semi-final of the strong pre-season tournament Courmayeur Cup.
Blenghini's first test will be a serious one – Milan's opponent is Scandicci. The match at Courmayeur Sport Center is at 6:15 PM local time, or 7:15 PM Bulgarian time.
The Courmayeur Cup brings together four of the leading teams in Italian women's volleyball. In the other semi-final, Conegliano and Novara will face each other from 4:30 PM Bulgarian time. On Sunday, the losing semi-finalists will compete for third place from 4:30 PM, and the final is at 7:00 PM Bulgarian time.
For Blenghini, the tournament will be the first real test of his new project in Milan and a general rehearsal before the start of the Serie A1 season. However, the Italian specialist does not yet have his full squad available.
"This is a high-level tournament with very competitive teams. For us, it will be important to understand how far we have come with the organization and fluidity of the game, but also to test the new players and, most importantly, to check the physical condition of each one and how homogeneous the group already is," Blenghini told VolleyNews before the tournament.
He warned that the absence of some of the volleyball players limits his options for rotations.
"Due to the absence of some players in certain areas, we have few options. It will be difficult to make rotations and we must keep this in mind, especially so as not to take unnecessary risks before the start of the championship," added the Italian.
Milan captain Anna Danesi also emphasized the importance of the last serious test before the start of the season. Vazquez and Sato are still absent from the squad, and according to Danesi, the two matches in Courmayeur will show how far the team has progressed in its preparation.
After the Courmayeur Cup, the real battle in Serie A1 begins for Blenghini. Milan will open the championship on October 3 with a home match against Il Bisonte Firenze at Allianz Cloud. The match is at 8:30 PM Italian time – 9:30 PM Bulgarian time.
Thus, the tournament in Courmayeur is Blenghini's last opportunity to test his team in a game environment before the championship debut. Just six days after its end, Milan will already be playing for points against Firenze.
For the Bulgarian public, the beginning of Blenghini's new club season will be particularly interesting. Just days after completing his commitments with the Bulgarian national team at EuroVolley 2026, the Italian specialist opens a new page in his career – this time at the helm of one of the big teams in Italian women's volleyball.

photo: Nikolay Varadinov