The Superlega in Italy is widely acclaimed to be the best men’s volleyball league in the world having been attracting the finest volleyball players in the world since the 1980s.

12 teams compete in this prestigious league and with superb players competing such as Tomasso Rinaldi of Modena and Allianz Milan’s outside hitter Matey Kaziyski, this season is cooked up to be another superb competition. As of mid-October, 3 teams sit with a perfect start with 3 wins and 9 points:

• Itas Trentino
• Gas Sales Bluenergy Piacenza
• Sir Susa Vim Perugia

The question is though, who will be crowned the kings of Italian volleyball come the end of the season in March? We’ll assess this question in this article, recapping what happened last season, and who the volleyball betting markets currently fancy to take home the glory.

2023/24 Recap

As a reminder of what happened last season, it was Sir Susa Vim Perugia who won the league last season, and such consistent play culminated in their head coach Angelo Lorenzetti receiving the Costa-Anderlini award for the best coach of the season. The end-of-season awards reflected an extremely competitive league, however, with players from various teams picking up accolades:

Sir Susa Vim Perugia

At the time of writing, bookmakers around the world have Perugia down as successfully defending their title from last season and winning back-to-back Superlega titles. They won the FIVB Volleyball Club World Championship in 2023 and 2022 as well as winning the Coppa Italia this year in 2024. The Block Devils are this season’s team to beat and their roster is packed with talent with a nucleus of talented Italian players such as Simone Gianneli and Francesco Zoppellari further complemented by some international class such as Jesús Herrera of Cuba, and Japanese sensation Yūki Ishikawa. At the time of writing, Perugia are 3 from 3 and they will be confident in their chances for more silverware.

Itas Trentino Trento

Hot on the heels of the Perugians is Itas Trentino Trento. Trentino is also 3 wins from 3 right now and their head coach Angelo Lorenzetti will be eager to shake things up in this year’s Superlega. Trentino are not without silverware of their own having won the 2024 CEV Champions League and last year’s Italian Championship. 40-year-old veteran outside hitter Matey Kaziyski of Bulgaria captains the side this year, and be sure to watch out for Czech outside hitter Donovan Džavoronok and Serbian middle blocker Marko Podraščanin. Lorenzetti will be hungry for more big wins with this side.

Gas Sales Bluenergy Piacenza

Piacenza makes up the third team with a perfect start to the season and the market has them down as the third favorite to win the league outright as of October 2024. The Wolves picked up gold in last season’s Italian Cup and they’ll want to continue that form into the league this season. Lorenzo Bernardi calls the shots as head coach and the team has a highly cosmopolitan roster with Frenchman Antoine Brizard captaining a side bolstered by Cubans, Brazilians, a Dutchman, another Frenchman, and a core of Italian talent. 

Rana Verona

Head coach Radostin Stoychev sees a gap in the sports betting market between his side and the front 3 but that won’t bother him one bit. Stoychev will be keen for his side to do its talking on the court and a quick glance at his team’s roster shows young and exciting talent. Slovene 22-year-old outside hitter Rok Možič is continuing to show promise, whilst libero Pietro Bonisoli is just 18 years old. 

Cucine Lube Civitanova

Civitanova has won the Italian Championship seven times along with the Italian Cup five times, and the Italian SuperCub three times. It goes without saying then that teams will underestimate Lube at their peril. Having said that, it’s been several years since the team has won any significant silverware, and head coach Gianlorenzo Blengini will be up against it this season if he wants to take this team to the chosen land of Superlega supremacy.

Vero Volley Monza

Consortium club Volley Milano/Monzo is middle of the pack and having won silver at the CEV Challenge Cup this year, will be eager to make a dent in this year’s Superlega. Perhaps it might be a step too far for Massimo Eccheli’s team but never say never. 

Allianz Milano

Just up the road, Allianz Milano makes up an exciting team made up of talent from Puerto Rico, Cuba, Italy, Argentina, Japan, Iran, and Japan. Milano has the capacity arena in the whole of the league with 5,420. They’re not currently perceived as a contender to the title, but come March that could all change.

Valsa Group Modena

Historically the most successful club in all of Italy, Modena has won the national league a record 12 times. The club has also enjoyed prestigious success in European competitions historically, but Modena isn’t exactly in their golden age at the moment, having not won any significant competitions for more than 5 years. 

Sonepar Padova, Gioiella Prisma Taranto, Cisterna Volley, Yuasa Battery Grottazzolina

If there is ever an underdog for a minnow to shock the volleyball world and win this year’s Superlega, it is the teams of Padova, Tarando, Cisterna, and Grottazzolina. These teams have very little top-tier silverware between them and if the current bookmaker markets are anything to go by, they have largely been written. Never say never, though! 

By Chris Bates