Numia Vero Volley Milano beat Prosecco Doc A. Carraro Imoco Conegliano 3-1 to win the Courmayeur Cup on 27 September, with Paola Egonu scoring 30 points in a four-set final at the Courmayeur Sport Center.
Milano won the pre-season Courmayeur Cup by winning 25-17, losing the second set 15-25, then claiming two tight finishes 25-23 and 25-23. The result gave Gianlorenzo Blengini a trophy early in his time as Milano coach, according to Lega Volley Femminile.
The league reported that Eleonora Fersino, Milano’s libero, was named match MVP. Egonu supplied 10 points in the opening set and converted the decisive point of the final set as Milano secured the tournament title.
Milano respond after Conegliano level final
Milano made the stronger start, building a 10-7 advantage in the first set before extending their lead through the serving of Hena Kurtagić and Egonu’s attacking. Rebecca Piva completed the 25-17 set, Lega Volley Femminile reported.
Conegliano hit back emphatically in the second. The club’s own match report said that Adigwe made an early impact from the service line as Conegliano established a 5-1 lead. The side went on to take the set 25-15, drawing level in the final.
The third set proved pivotal. Conegliano led 19-16 before Milano recovered to draw level, with Egonu earning a set point and then converting it for 25-23. The same score decided the fourth set, with Egonu scoring the final point.
Milano’s league report listed Kurtagić and Piva on 12 points each, while Khalia Lanier added 10. Milano had a 46% attack rate, compared with 42% for their opponents.
The third set lasted 26 minutes and the fourth 32, underlining how closely contested the closing stages were after Conegliano had drawn level. Milano nevertheless took both later sets by the same 25-23 margin.
A pre-season result before league start
The Courmayeur Cup was a pre-season tournament rather than a league title, providing the competing clubs with competitive matches before the LVF A1 Fineco campaign. Conegliano described the final as its last pre-season test and said coach Daniele Santarelli rotated the available players as part of preparations for the official championship debut.
Milano had reached the final by beating Savino Del Bene Scandicci 3-0 in the semi-final on 26 September. Egonu scored 21 points in that match and was named MVP, while Lanier contributed 11 points. Milano won the sets 25-20, 27-25 and 25-19.
Milano had trailed 9-5 in the third set against Scandicci before recovering to lead 15-12, according to Vero Volley’s report. The club said Danesi’s ace ended that set and completed the straight-sets win. In the second set, Milano had recovered from Scandicci’s early control before Piva’s ace brought Milano level before the set was decided 27-25. Those passages meant Milano arrived in the final having handled a close set as well as a comeback during the tournament’s opening match.
That route matters in assessing the cup success: Milano won both of their matches without dropping more than one set, but the tournament was staged specifically in the final week of pre-season. It nevertheless gave Blengini an immediate competitive result after taking charge of the side for the event.
Blengini said, in comments published by Lega Volley Femminile, that he was pleased his players had found technical and mental resources during difficult periods of the final. He indicated that the ability to retain their approach irrespective of the opponent was important, while also noting the high level of the forthcoming league season.
Milano are scheduled to begin their LVF A1 Fineco programme at home to Firenze at Allianz Cloud on Saturday 3 October at 20.30. The Courmayeur result does not determine the league standings, but it gives Milano a completed competitive test and a trophy before that opening fixture.