Zhu leads Scandicci against Chieri on Sunday

Another round of the 2023-2024 Lega Pallavolo Femminile Serie A is coming up this weekend and the duel between Savino Del Bene Scandicci and Reale Mutua Fenera Chieri will be the one to take the spotlight in the country.

Set to battle in Firenze on Sunday, at 17:00 local time (16:00 GMT), Scandicci and Chieri are both ranked inside the Italian League’s top five, occupying the fourth and first places in the standings respectively.

• Watch Lega Pallavolo Femminile Serie A1 matches live on VBTV.

With Scandicci holding a five-point lead (19 to 14) over Chieri, they’re not at risk of being caught by their opponents in case of a loss, but triumphing at home could not only make their position in the top four safer, but also move them closer to Prosecco Doc Imoco Conegliano (24) and potentially make them catch or pass Igor Gorgonzola Novara (21) and Allianz Vero Volley Milano (20).

Scandicci have six wins in eight matches so far and enter this weekend’s duel against Chieri in a three-match winning streak – they have won their last five matches including CEV Champions League encounters.

“The team did very well in the last five matches, losing just one set, but this will be a key week for us,” Scandicci’s head coach Marco Gaspari said. “We’ll have three difficult matches in six days, starting with Chieri, who can no longer be considered a surprise because of what they did in the last few years, especially last year, when they finished fourth.”

Chinese superstar outside hitter Zhu Ting has been a key piece in the team’s recent good form. The 28-year-old Asian has been on the court in seven of the team’s eight matches and reached double digits in scoring in six of them, including the last five. She’s coming from a 15-point performance against Honda Olivero S. Bernardo Cuneo last weekend.

Chieri will play their second Italian League match in five days as they were on the court on Wednesday, in a postponed encounter from the fourth round, falling to Milano in straight sets. Before that match, the team, which has five victories in eight duels, had four straight triumphs.

A new face with the team this season, American outside hitter Avery Skinner has been one of their most productive players, with 110 points scored. She’s coming from an inconsistent match against Milano, but after last Wednesday’s encounter, she had registered double digits in scoring in each of Chieri’s first seven matches in the Italian League.

Sunday will mark the 13^th time the two sides battle and Scandicci have won ten of the first 12 duels, including four of the last five.

Other matches

The ninth week of action in the Lega Femminille starts on Saturday, with Novara facing Il Bisonte Firenze at 18:00 local time (17:00 GMT) and Itas Trentino meeting Megabox Ondulati Savio Vallefoglia at 20:30 local time (19:30 GMT).

On Sunday, three other matches will start at 17:00 local time (16:00 GMT) – Imoco vs. Trasportipesanti Casalmaggiore, Uyba Volley Busto Arsizio vs. Cuneo and Roma Volley Club vs. Milano. The round will be completed at 20:30 local time (19:30 GMT), when Wash4Green Pinerolo and Volley Bergamo 1991 go against each other.

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