Volley Bergamo

Volley Bergamo is an Italian women's volleyball club based in Bergamo and currently playing in the Serie A1.

Foppapedretti Bergamo

Full name	Volley Bergamo
Nickname	Foppa Rossoblù (red and blues)
Founded	1991
Ground	PalaNorda, Bergamo, Italy (Capacity: 2,250)
Chairman	Luciano Bonetti
Head coach	Stefano Micoli
League	FIPAV Women's Serie A1
2016–17	4th (Playoff quarter-finalist)
Website	Club home page
Uniforms
Home Away

Previous names

Due to sponsorship, the club have competed under the following names:

• Volley Bergamo (1991–1992)
• Foppapedretti Bergamo (1992–2000)
• Radio 105 Foppapedretti Bergamo (2000–2006)
• Play Radio Foppapedretti Bergamo (2006–2007)
• Foppapedretti Bergamo (2007–2010)
• Norda Foppapedretti Bergamo (2010–2012)
• Foppapedretti Bergamo (2012–present)

History

Beginnings (1991–1994)

Volley Bergamo was founded in 1991 by Mauro Ferraris and first played in the 1991–92 Serie B1 (third tier). In the following season (1992–93) it started a partnership with Foppapedretti and gained promotion to the Serie A2 (second tier). The club gain a second successive promotion in 1993–94 by winning the Serie A2 and being promoted to the Serie A1 (first tier).[1]

Major success (1995–2007)

In 1994–95, its debut season at Serie A1, the club finished in fifth position, earning for the first time qualification for a European competition (CEV Cup).[2] In the following season it won both the Serie A1 and the Coppa Italia for the first time. In the 1996–97 the club won the Serie A1, Coppa Italia, Italian Super Cup and the CEV Champions League.[3] For the next decade the club became one of the strongest women's volleyball clubs in Europe, winning another five Serie A1 (1997–98, 1998–99, 2001–02, 2003–04, 2005–06), two Coppa Italia (1997–98, 2005–06), four Italian Super Cups (1997–98, 1998–99, 1999–00, 2004–05), four CEV Champions League (1998–99, 1999–00, 2004–05, 2006–07) and one CEV Cup (2003–04).[4]

Recent years (2008–present)

Despite not being as dominant as before, the club after 2008 won the Serie A again (2010–11), the Coppa Italia (2007–08 and 2015–16), the Italian Super Cup (2011–12) and the CEV Champions League (2008–09 and 2009–10).[4] It is the most successful Italian team in the CEV Champions League history with 7 titles and the second most successful team in Serie A history with 8 titles, having never being relegated since its debut in the 1994–95 season.[5]

Team

Season 2020–2021, as of February 2021.[6][7]

Number	Player	Position	Height (m)	Weight (kg)	Birth date
1	Juliann Faucette	Opposite	1.90	85	25 November 1989
6	Stephanie Enright	Outside Hitter	1.79	56	15 December 1990
7	Vittoria Prandi	Setter	1.80	63	4 November 1994
8	Eleonora Fersino	Libero	1.69	62	24 January 2000
9	Francesca Marcon	Outside Hitter	1.80	65	9 July 1983
10	Katarina Luketić	Opposite	1.90	70	28 September 1998
13	Beta Dumančić	Middle blocker	1.89	75	26 May 1991
14	Natalia Valentín	Setter	1.70	61	9 December 1989
15	Giorgia Faraone	Libero	1.68	54	6 July 1994
16	Khalia Lanier	Outside hitter	1.86	82	19 September 1998
17	Sara Loda	Outside Hitter	1.78	75	22 August 1990
18	Gaia Moretto	Middle blocker	1.92	74	18 September 1994
24	Giulia Mio Bertolo	Middle blocker	1.87	72	24 May 1995

Notable players

• Maurizia Cacciatori (1995-1998/1999-2003)
• Antonella Del Core (2008–2010)
• Paola Croce (2004–2008)
• Jenny Barazza (2003–2009)
• Paola Paggi (2002–2007/2014-current)
• Simona Rinieri (1999–2001)
• Eleonora Lo Bianco (2005–2011/2015-current)
• Serena Ortolani (2008–2011)
• Valentina Arrighetti (2007–2012)
• Francesca Piccinini (1999–2012)
• Iuliana Nucu (2010–2012)
• Antonina Zetova (2000–2001)
• Jelena Nikolić (2002–2003)
• Prikeba Phipps (1995-1997/2001-2002)
• Tara Cross-Battle (2001–2002)
• Heather Bown (2002–2003)
• Iryna Zhukova (2003–2005)
• Christiane Fürst (2009–2010)
• Angelina Grün (2003–2008)
• Irina Kirillova (1998–1999)
• Maja Poljak (2003–2008)
• Lioubov Sokolova (2002–2005)
• Mireya Luis (1998–2000)
• Ana Fernández (1998–1999)
• Marlenys Costa (1998–1999)
• Gabriela Pérez del Solar (1999–2001)

Retired numbers

• 11 Giseli Gavio; the number was retired in 1999
• 12 Francesca Piccinini; the number was retired in 2013

Head coaches

• Francesco Sbalchiero (1993–1995)
• Atanas Malinov (1995–1997)
• Marco Bonitta (1997–2000)
• Giuseppe Cuccarini (2000–2002)
• Mario Di Pietro (2002–2003)
• Giovanni Caprara (2003–2005)
• Marco Fenoglio (2005–2007)
• Lorenzo Micelli (2007–2010)
• Davide Mazzanti (2010–2012)
• Stefano Lavarini (2012–2017)
• Stefano Micoli (2017–present)

Honours

National competitions

• National League: 8

1995–96, 1996–97, 1997–98, 1998–99, 2001–02, 2003–04, 2005–06, 2010–11

• Coppa Italia: 6

1995–96, 1996–97, 1997–98, 2005–06, 2007–08, 2015–16

• Italian Super Cup: 6

1996–97, 1997–98, 1998–99, 1999–00, 2004–05, 2011–12

International competitions

• CEV Champions League: 7

1996–97, 1998–99, 1999–00, 2004–05, 2006–07, 2008–09, 2009–10

• CEV Cup: 1

2003–04

• Women's Top Volley International: 2

1996

1998 (January)

References

1. "Storia". Volley Bergamo (in Italian). Retrieved 19 December 2016.
2. "1995/96 CEV CUP - Volley Bergamo". CEV. Retrieved 19 December 2016.
3. "CHAMPION WOMEN - EC 96/97 - Final". CEV. Retrieved 19 December 2016.
4. "ALBO D'ORO". Volley Bergamo (in Italian). Retrieved 19 December 2016.
5. "Volley Bergamo - Squads by season". Lega Pallavolo Seria A Femminile (in Italian). Retrieved 19 December 2016.
6. "Team". Volley Bergamo (in Italian). Retrieved 4 September 2017.
7. "2017-18 Foppapedretti Bergamo Team". legavolleyfemminile.it (in Italian). Retrieved 4 September 2017.

External links

• Official website (in Italian)
• Official supporters website (in Italian)