In focus: Vero Volley Milan
Vero Volley Milan is one of the three teams to represent Italy in the pool stage of the women’s CEV Champions League Volley 2023. After reaching the Italian national league final for the first time in its 41-year-long history, Vero Volley earned the right to make its second appearance in Europe’s strongest club competition and will start its campaign from Pool B of the upcoming fourth round.
The club from Monza, which represents the city of Milan this season, made its rookie participation in the Champions League last season. It finished Pool B runners-up to champions-to-be VakifBank Istanbul of Turkiye and advanced to the quarterfinals. Then it was eliminated on the road to the semis by another Italian team, defending Champions League titleholders Antonio Carraro Imoco Conegliano.
Competing under the name Saugella Monza, the club has already claimed two continental trophies. At its European Cups debut, it triumphed with the 2019 CEV Challenge Cup gold. Two years later, it earned the crown in the second strongest tournament, the CEV Cup.
The club was founded in 1981, but achieved its first promotion to Italy’s top division in 2016. Vero Volley claimed its first Serie A1 medal with a third-place finish in 2021, and upgraded it to silver in 2022. The squad, head coached by Marco Gaspari, is once again one of the leaders in the current Italian league season. So far, the team has won eight and lost only one of its matches, standing second in the table.
One of last season’s most efficient blockers in the Champions League, Italian middle Sonia Candi, is still on Vero Volley’s roster this season. However, two new additions have taken over as the regular starters in that position. One of them is Jovana Stevanovic, a two-time reigning world champion, a 2016 Olympic silver medalist and a 2017 European champion with the national team of Serbia. The other is Italian international Raphaela Folie.
Vero Volley’s stellar squad is expected to be highlighted by Tokyo 2020 Olympic MVP Jordan Larson. The American star has recently confirmed that she will rejoin the Italian club in early December. She will enjoy the company of two of her compatriots, opposite Jordan Thompson and middle Dana Rettke. The list of Vero Volley’s foreign players continues with Polish striker Magdalena Stysiak, Bosnia and Herzegovina’s outside hitter Edina Begic, Belarusian outside Hanna Davyskiba and Belgian opposite Pauline Martin, while the line-up of domestic athletes is headlined by three EuroVolley 2021 champions – setter and captain Alessia Orro, outside Miriam Sylla and libero Beatrice Parrocchiale.
In its Pool B opening match, Vero Volley will welcome Ukraine’s Prometey Dnipro to Arena di Monza on December 7 at 20:00 local time. Two weeks later, the Italian team will travel to Romania for an encounter with Volei Alba Blaj. In the third leg, it will travel again, this time to France for a game with Volero Le Cannet on January 12. Vero Volley will entertain Alba on January 18, before heading for an away match with Prometey on January 31. The last pool match for Gaspari’s players will be against Volero at home on February 2.
Watch the Champions League live on EuroVolleyTV.