Club Italia (women's volleyball)

Club Italia Crai
Full name	Club Italia
Founded	1998
Ground	, Busto Arsizio, Italy; (Capacity: 5,000)
Chairman	FIPAV
Head coach	Massimo Bellano
League	FIPAV Women's Serie A2
2016–17	12th in Serie A1 (Relegated to Serie A2)
Uniforms
Home	Away
	2017–18

Club Italia is an Italian women's volleyball club based in Rome, it is currently playing in the Serie A1; but it has played in the Serie A2 during season 2017/18.

Previous names[]

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

Club Italia (1998–2016)
Club Italia Crai (2016–present)

History[]

The team was founded in 1998 by then Italian federation sports director Julio Velasco, in order to develop the skills of younger players in a competitive league rather than in youth leagues. The team is directly controlled by the Italian Volleyball Federation, which is entitled to put the best younger scouted players in the team. After a lot of seasons in the lower leagues of Serie B1 and Serie B2, Club Italia was automatically promoted by the Italian Federation into Serie A2 (2nd tier) in 2014 and then into Serie A1 (first tier) in 2015, avoiding relegation in its first season. Over the next two seasons, Anna Danesi, Paola Egonu, Ofelia Malinov and Alessia Orro have been called up to the Italian national team while playing for Club Italia.^[1]^[2] At the conclusion of the 2016–17 season, the club was relegated to Serie A2.^[3] The club returned to the Serie A1 in the 2018–19 season.^[4]

Squad[]

Season 2017–2018, as of September 2017.^[5]

Number	Player	Position	Height (m)	Birth date
1		Outside Hitter	1.87	(2000-05-12) 12 May 2000 (age 21)
2		Middle Blocker	1.87	(1999-05-18) 18 May 1999 (age 22)
3		Middle Blocker	1.90	(2000-11-14) 14 November 2000 (age 20)
4		Setter	1.82	(2000-11-07) 7 November 2000 (age 20)
5	Marina Lubian	Middle Blocker	1.92	(2000-04-11) 11 April 2000 (age 21)
6	Sara Cortella	Outside Hitter	1.85	(2002-02-15) 15 February 2002 (age 19)
7	Elena Pietrini	Outside Hitter	1.86	(2000-03-17) 17 March 2000 (age 21)
9		Outside Hitter	1.82	(2002-08-25) 25 August 2002 (age 19)
10		Libero	1.76	(1997-07-28) 28 July 1997 (age 24)
11		Outside Hitter	1.76	(2000-04-22) 22 April 2000 (age 21)
12		Setter	1.78	(2000-02-04) 4 February 2000 (age 21)
13	Sarah Fahr	Middle Blocker	1.92	(2001-09-12) 12 September 2001 (age 19)
15		Outside Hitter	1.77	(1999-08-12) 12 August 1999 (age 22)
16		Outside Hitter	1.84	(2000-02-16) 16 February 2000 (age 21)
17		Outside Hitter	1.84	(2002-02-15) 15 February 2002 (age 19)

show2016–2017 Team^[6]^[7]
Number	Player	Position	Height (m)	Birth date
1		Outside Hitter	1.87	(2000-05-12) 12 May 2000 (age 21)
3		Opposite	1.81	(1995-06-27) 27 June 1995 (age 26)
4		Setter	1.82	(2000-11-07) 7 November 2000 (age 20)
5	Marina Lubian	Middle Blocker	1.92	(2000-04-11) 11 April 2000 (age 21)
7		Libero	1.68	(1999-01-28) 28 January 1999 (age 22)
8	Alessia Orro	Setter	1.80	(1998-07-18) 18 July 1998 (age 23)
9	Vittoria Piani	Opposite	1.87	(1998-02-12) 12 February 1998 (age 23)
10		Libero	1.76	(1997-07-28) 28 July 1997 (age 24)
11	Giulia Mancini	Middle Blocker	1.83	(1998-05-23) 23 May 1998 (age 23)
12		Outside Hitter	1.80	(1997-09-06) 6 September 1997 (age 24)
13	Giulia Melli	Outside Hitter	1.84	(1998-01-08) 8 January 1998 (age 23)
14	Alexandra Botezat	Middle Blocker	1.96	(1998-08-03) 3 August 1998 (age 23)
15	Sara Cortella	Outside Hitter	1.85	(2002-02-15) 15 February 2002 (age 19)
17		Outside Hitter	1.84	(2002-02-15) 15 February 2002 (age 19)
18	Paola Egonu	Outside Hitter	1.89	(1998-12-18) 18 December 1998 (age 22)

Current coaching staff[]

Italy			Head coach
Italy	Michele Fanni	(1983-01-11) 11 January 1983 (age 38)	Vice coach
Italy	Alessandro Parise	(1969-12-10) 10 December 1969 (age 51)	Coach assistant
Italy	Ugo Strada	(1954-02-03) 3 February 1954 (age 67)	Doctor
Italy	Maurizio Gardenghi	(1969-04-16) 16 April 1969 (age 52)	Athletic trainer
Italy	Moreno Mascheroni	(1984-07-30) 30 July 1984 (age 37)	Phytsiotherapist

References[]

^ "Storia". FIPAV (in Italian). Retrieved 15 February 2017.
^ "Ecco il nuovo Club Italia CRAI!". Lega Pallavolo Femminile (in Italian). 21 August 2017. Retrieved 8 September 2017.
^ "Il Club Italia CRAI lotta fino in fondo contro Monza". Lega Pallavolo Femminile (in Italian). 25 March 2017. Retrieved 8 September 2017.
^ "Ecco il roster del Club Italia Crai 2018–2019". Lega Pallavolo Femminile (in Italian). 27 July 2018. Retrieved 6 February 2019.
^ "Club Italia Crai Squad". Lega Pallavolo Femminile (in Italian). Retrieved 8 September 2017.
^ "Club Italia Crai A1 femminile » Atlete". FIPAV (in Italian). Retrieved 13 December 2016.
^ "Club Italia Crai 2016-17 Squad". Lega Pallavolo Femminile (in Italian). Retrieved 13 December 2016.

External links[]

Club website (in Italian) at FIPAV

[1] "Storia". FIPAV (in Italian). Retrieved 15 February 2017.

[2] "Ecco il nuovo Club Italia CRAI!". Lega Pallavolo Femminile (in Italian). 21 August 2017. Retrieved 8 September 2017.

[3] "Il Club Italia CRAI lotta fino in fondo contro Monza". Lega Pallavolo Femminile (in Italian). 25 March 2017. Retrieved 8 September 2017.

[4] "Ecco il roster del Club Italia Crai 2018–2019". Lega Pallavolo Femminile (in Italian). 27 July 2018. Retrieved 6 February 2019.

[5] "Club Italia Crai Squad". Lega Pallavolo Femminile (in Italian). Retrieved 8 September 2017.

[6] "Club Italia Crai A1 femminile » Atlete". FIPAV (in Italian). Retrieved 13 December 2016.

[7] "Club Italia Crai 2016-17 Squad". Lega Pallavolo Femminile (in Italian). Retrieved 13 December 2016.

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show v t Italian Women's Volleyball Serie A1 teams
2017–18 teams	Foppapedretti Bergamo Unet E-Work Busto Arsizio Pomì Casalmaggiore Imoco Volley Conegliano Lardini Filottrano Il Bisonte Firenze SAB Volley Legnano Liu Jo Nordmeccanica Modena Saugella Team Monza Igor Gorgonzola Novara myCicero Volley Pesaro Savino Del Bene Scandicci Club Italia Crai
Former teams	Südtirol Bolzano Monte Schiavo Banca Marche Jesi Metalleghe Sanitars Montichiari
Defunct teams	Liu Jo Modena (2013–2016) Asystel Volley Novara (2003–2012) Despar Sirio Perugia (1970–2011) Minetti Vicenza (1992–2010) MC-Carnaghi Villa Cortese (1978–2013)