Stars from 11 countries, including captains, Olympic medalists, and debutantes, gather at the foot of Mont Blanc
After the FIVB Women's Volleyball World Championship in Thailand, the new season in Serie A1 Tigotà will open in style. On September 26th and 27th, four of Italy's strongest club teams – Imoco Conegliano, Vero Volley Milano, Savino Del Bene Scandicci, and Igor Gorgonzola Novara – will face each other in the Courmayeur Cup tournament, held for the second consecutive year at the foot of Mont Blanc (Aosta).
Italy with the strongest representation – but without Bosetti and Pietrini
The Italian national team, led by Julio Velasco, is traveling to Thailand with a squad that includes 8 volleyball players from these four clubs – among them Paola Egonu, Ekaterina Antropova, Anna Danesi, Sarah Fahr, Linda Nwakalor, Benedetta Sartori, Monica De Gennaro, and Eleonora Fersino.
Elena Pietrini, Caterina Bosetti, and Cristina Chirichella, also part of leading clubs, are not in the squad for the World Championship.
Poland without national team players in the tournament – but with a former captain and current coach
A curious contrast marks the absence of current Polish national team players in the squads of the four clubs participating in the Courmayeur Cup. Although the Polish national team for the World Championship in Thailand does not include any players from these clubs, the tournament will not go without a strong Polish presence.
On the court will be Joanna Wołosz, a long-time captain and starting setter of "Družyna polska," who officially retired from the national team after the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. At the same time, Poland's coach – Stefano Lavarini – will lead Vero Volley Milano, a team with five Italian national team players, including Paola Egonu.
🌍 Representatives from 11 national teams
The tournament will bring together 19 active national team players who have either already represented their countries in the Volleyball Nations League or are included in the squads for the World Championship in Thailand:
| First Name | Last Name | Position | Nationality | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paola | Egonu | opposite | Italy | Milano |
| Anna | Danesi | center | Italy | Milano |
| Eleonora | Fersino | libero | Italy | Milano |
| Benedetta | Sartori | center | Italy | Milano |
| Hena | Kurtagic | center | Serbia | Milano |
| Gabriela | Guimaraes | hitter | Brazil | Conegliano |
| Zhu | Ting | hitter | China | Conegliano |
| Isabelle | Haak | opposite | Sweden | Conegliano |
| Sara | Fahr | center | Italy | Conegliano |
| Monica | De Gennaro | libero | Italy | Conegliano |
| Nika | Daalderop | hitter | Netherlands | Conegliano |
| Ekaterina | Antropova | opposite | Italy | Scandicci |
| Linda | Nwakalor | center | Italy | Scandicci |
| Camilla | Weitzel | center | Germany | Scandicci |
| Britt | Herbots | hitter | Belgium | Novara |
| Mayu | Ishikawa | hitter | Japan | Novara |
| Sara | Bonifacio | center | Italy | Novara |
| Indy | Baijens | center | Netherlands | Novara |
| Lina | Alsmeier | hitter | Germany | Novara |
📊 National team players by clubs:
| Club | National team players at WC 2025 |
|---|---|
| Imoco Conegliano | 5 |
| Vero Volley Milano | 5 |
| Savino Del Bene Scandicci | 3 |
| Igor Gorgonzola Novara | 6 |
| Total | 19 |
🗓️ Tournament Program
| Date | Time | Match |
|---|---|---|
| September 26 (Friday) | 17:30 | Imoco "," Novara |
| 20:30 | Milano "," Scandicci | |
| September 27 (Saturday) | 16:30 | 3rd place match |
| 19:30 | Final |
The Courmayeur Cup will not just be a preseason test, buta volleyball celebration with a global context. Two dozen current and former national players will once again face each other, but this time under the colors of their club teams. The tournament is a starting point for the 2025/26 season, which promises to be no less exciting than the international summer.
Furthermore, this year we will follow the Italian women's championship with increased attention "," due to the participation of Mika Stoyanova and Tsvetomira Mitkova in Megabox Ond. Savio Vallefoglia.
