Zhasmin Velichkov and Iliya Petkov have already started training with their club team Vero Volley Monza after Bulgaria's participation in the European Championship ended.
The two Bulgarian internationals arrived in Monza on Monday evening, and today they underwent functional tests. In the afternoon, their program continued with work in the gym, and their first ball practice in the hall is scheduled for tomorrow.
Thus, coach Massimo Eccheli is gradually starting to assemble the squad with which Monza will enter the new SuperLega season. Velichkov and Petkov were among the last absentees due to their commitments with the national team. Already during the first friendly match on September 12, the club explicitly noted that the two Bulgarians were unavailable due to their participation in EuroVolley 2026.
However, Eccheli's biggest problem at the moment is at the setter position. American international Andrew Rowan, signed for the new season, broke the thumb of his right hand during the USA's participation in the NORCECA Championship. On September 22, he underwent surgery to stabilize the fracture in the USA, performed by hand surgery specialist Dr. Mark Halikis. The club expects Rowan to be able to return to play only towards the end of November.
Due to his prolonged absence, Monza has already announced that it is considering the possibility of re-entering the transfer market. The Italian publication Volleyball.it reported on September 26 that the decision is the return of Jan Zimmermann, who also played for Monza last season. At the moment, however, Vero Volley has not yet published an official announcement about the signing of the German setter.
Zimmermann has not yet joined the team, and his eventual return will not immediately solve Eccheli's problem. The registration deadline before the start of the championship has already passed, and since the German played in Italy last season, the rules do not allow him to be used in the first three rounds. This means that Zimmermann will miss the away match against Prata di Pordenone on October 18 and the home matches against Verona on October 25 and Perugia on October 31. The earliest he could be available is for the away match against Cuneo on November 4.
Meanwhile, Eccheli had to lead almost all of the preparation so far without Velichkov, Petkov, and Rowan. Despite the incomplete squad, Monza has won all three of its friendly matches to date.
In the first test, the team defeated Cantù with a score of 3:1 (25:16, 25:23, 23:25, 25:16), with young Niccolò Mapelli being the top scorer with 16 points.
This was followed by the first test against a SuperLega opponent. At the tournament in Bassano del Grappa, Monza defeated Padova 3:0 (25:23, 25:21, 25:21) and won the "CMP Città di Bassano del Grappa" trophy. Eccheli's team made 9 blocks, and Diego Frascio and Grigoriy Khotsevich scored 11 points each.
The third test proved to be the most difficult. Against second-division Consoli Sferc Brescia, Monza fell behind 0:2 sets but managed a complete comeback for 3:2 (15:25, 19:25, 25:12, 25:19, 15:13). Khotsevich and Frascio finished with 18 points each, and Bara Fall added 11, 4 of which were blocks.
Preparation continues on October 3 with a friendly match against Allianz Milano with Georgi Tatarov in the squad at the "Opiquad Arena", and on October 10 and 11, Monza is scheduled to participate in the fifth edition of the "Trofeo Ferramenta Astori" tournament in Montichiari.
The first official match of the season is on October 18, away against newcomer Tinet Prata di Pordenone. A week later, on October 25 at 6:00 PM, Velichkov, Petkov, and their teammates will play their first home match in the SuperLega – against the Italian Cup winner Rana Verona.
photo:verovolley.com
