Forty-two games played in her first season in yellow and blue after many years as an opponent, five trophies won, elegance and class, a guarantee for the Panthers: Cristina Chirichella will also play in the 2025/26 season in the Prosecco DOC Imoco Conegliano after joining the legendary All-In sextet.
Predestined of Italian volleyball, the center of Naples, born in 1994, 195 cm, will play her thirteenth season in a row in the A1 championship that she has won twice. Her first stops in A1 were Pesaro and Ornavasso, then the long 10-year interlude at Igor Novara on the highest Italian and European stage, before arriving at Palaverde last year in which Cristina confirmed her reputation as a top-level player of our volleyball by imposing herself as a fundamental pawn in coach Santarelli’s winning chessboard. 2 Scudetti, 4 Italian Cups, 2 Super Cups, 2 Champions Leagues, 1 Club World Cup, 1 Cev Cup and 1 Wevza Cup in the palmarès of the Neapolitan centre.
With the national team he won the Nations League in 2022 and the European Championship in 2021, as well as 6 other medals in his palmares, with Italy he also wore the blue captain’s armband for years.
An absolute veteran, Cristina’s mentality was married with the ambitious projects of Prosecco DOC Imoco in a season to be framed: she played as a starter in all the finals of the year, winning the Super Cup, the Club World Cup, the Italian Cup, the Scudetto and the Champions League for a legendary poker.
Almost 140 sets played in 42 appearances, his walls have entered the hearts of the Palaverde fans (65), the classy fasts have set in motion the Panthers’ attack (285 points in the season), scoring more than one shot out of two (51% offensive). Now the princess has entered the kingdom of Prosecco DOC leaving her mark and will do an encore by wearing the yellow and blue of Conegliano next season.
STATEMENTS CRISTINA CHIRICHELLA
“It was a fantastic year, we managed to achieve all the goals set at the beginning of the season and we also achieved them in the best way, with a team that really left a mark on each of us, together. The whole group was really needed, in such a long season full of trophies, which began in August and ended in May.
-Reconfirming will be very difficult, like every year the other teams also strengthen trying to always aim for all the seasonal goals. Conegliano always aims high and wants to continue winning, they will certainly put us in the best conditions to be able to work at our best and achieve the desired results.
-After this year’s en plein, once again in the next one everyone will want to try to beat us, but our method and approach to training counts, because we are aiming for another masterpiece. To do this we will need the consistency and seriousness with which we worked last season, especially in training.
-Coming here did me a lot of good, I needed a change of scenery and try to win. To have the right stimuli you need teamwork. I’m happy to have made this choice, when you win everything is always better, but beyond the fantastic results I’m happy with the way they work in Conegliano and how the club is structured.
-I am happy here, this environment has made me return to the enthusiasm and passion for volleyball. Here I found the support of the public, great participation in the matches, but also serenity off the pitch, we live in contact with nature together with my teammates. Having this confidence and balancing the stress and commitment of sport with a little tranquility is very good, I take my dog for long walks to have some fun and I like it very much.
-Now I’m resting to recover physically and mentally, it was a very demanding season and I needed to take a break. I continue to train in the beach volleyball courts so as not to lose the touch, I want to be ready to start a great season where we will have to try to repeat ourselves, even if the opponents will be more and more equipped and fierce.
-In the meantime, I greet all the fans, I want to see a lot of season tickets in a Palaverde that is still full to get excited and win together”.