Trento, 16 September 2025

BTS Arena, on Wednesday the first test match: 6:30 PM vs Mantova

After twenty-nine days of training, all carried out at the BTS Arena in Trento, the time has come for the men’s Itas Trentino team to play their first pre-season test match. On Wednesday, September 17, starting around 6:30 PM, the reigning Italian Champions will take to the court for their first competitive test of the season against Gabbiano FarmaMed Mantova, a team competing in Serie A3.
The match – which is unofficial and scheduled during the team’s usual training slot – will offer the coaching staff an opportunity to assess the progress made so far by the six players available during this initial stage of training.
Given the limited number of first-team players currently in Trento, Assistant Coach Adriano Di Pinto (who has overseen all technical sessions during this phase) will draw extensively from the UniTrento Volley squad – the junior team of Trentino Volley, which will compete in the upcoming Serie B season. This group has been training alongside the first team over the past four weeks.
In addition to Acquarone, Bristot, Ramon, Sandu, Pesaresi, and Laurenzano, fans may also see appearances from young middle blockers Frassanella and Taddei, setter Mussari, opposite hitters Boschini and D’Amato, and outside hitter Giani. Also expected on court is Matey Kaziyski, who has been training regularly with the team since mid-August.
“This match will serve as an interesting checkpoint for the work we’ve done so far,” said Di Pinto. “There’s a lot of curiosity to see where we currently stand — both physically and tactically. In this first part of the pre-season, we’ve focused heavily on individual and analytical drills. Even a friendly like this one can provide us with different insights, and likely a more enjoyable environment.”
On the other side of the net will be Gabbiano FarmaMed Mantova, a team that already has one match under its belt — a 4-0 defeat last weekend in Modena — and is preparing for its third consecutive season in Serie A3. Last year, they reached the quarterfinals of the promotion playoffs, after finishing fourth in the White Group — the same group in which they have been placed again for the 2025/26 season.
Mantova’s head coach Andrea Radici — who previously coached in SuperLega with Città di Castello and Piacenza between 2013 and 2015 — can count on several experienced players, including middle blocker Francesco Simoni, a product of Trentino Volley’s youth academy (with one first-team appearance between 2019 and 2022 and three full seasons in Serie A3 with UniTrento Volley), and former Modena outside hitter Roberto Pinali, brother of Giulio Pinali (a Trentino opposite during the 2021/22 season).
The joint training session will be open to the public and streamed live on Trentino Volley’s official YouTube channel: www.trentinovolley.it/trentinovolleytv. 

Trentino Volley Srl
Press Office