Italy's Megabox Ondulati del Savio Vallefoglia began its series of test matches with a scrimmage against German Bundesliga newcomer TV Planegg-Krailling. The match atPalaMegaboxwas the first test for Andrea Pistola's team in preparation for the new A1 Series season. This was announced on the team's official website.
The Bulgarian presence
Five Bulgarian volleyball players were in the spotlight.
Mikaela Stoyanova, an opposite hitter for the national team, who arrived in Italy after participating in the World Championship, and middle blocker Tsvetomira Mitkova will spend the entire season in Vallefoglia.
Three players from Levski Sofia – Liana Vasileva, Maria Zlatanova, and Gabriela Zhekova – also took part in the match. They joined in the fourth and fifth sets as part of a joint cooperation program between the two clubs. The three young players are returning home today but experienced a valuable week with an elite Italian team.
“It was the first time we played together. The girls showed the right attitude and good disposition. We still have a lot of work to do, especially in building the connection between the new setter and the hitters. I am also happy about the cooperation with Levski Sofia – the Bulgarians were very valuable during this period when some of our players were busy with their national teams,” commented head coach Andrea Pistola to the club's website.
Vallefoglia will be at full strength from mid-September, but until then, a number of test matches are scheduled:
today (September 6) against VTB Bologna (Serie B1),
on September 10 against San Giovanni in Marignano (newcomer to A1),
on September 12 against Cuneo Granda Volley,
followed by tournaments in Conegliano (September 20–21) and atPalaMegaboxnext weekend.
Italian national team players Gaia Giovannini and Loveth Omoruyi are absent, as they participated with the “Squadra Azzurra” in the U21 World Championship in Thailand, which opened up an opportunity for the Bulgarian players to feature.
Thus, Vallefoglia's preparation started with a clear Bulgarian accent – two national team players who will be key during the season, and three talented players from Levski Sofia who seized the chance to gain international experience.
photo:megaboxvolley.it
