Vero Volley Monza’s 2021-2022 season was already going extremely well, with the team holding the top spot in the Lega Pallavolo vivo Serie A1 Femminile and having secured a spot in the quarterfinals of the CEV Champions League.

The Italian club further strengthened their chances of succeeding on both fronts last month with the signing of Tokyo Olympics MVP Jordan Larson and the debut of the 35-year-old American, this past weekend, has raised confidence levels at the club even more.

Larson, who arrived in Italy last Tuesday and had just a pair of training sessions with her teammates ahead of the weekend’s round, played the entire third set of Monza’s sweep of Bosca S. Bernardo Cuneo and scored seven points, converting six of her 13 hitting attempts and registering an ace. She also showed how valuable she can be to the team’s backcourt by producing an 80% efficiency rate in serve-receive.

“It was really exciting,” she said after her first match in Italy. “I’m really proud of our team especially for embracing me. It was easy to see everyone is working together. It’s a really good environment and I can tell they all want to win as much as I do, which I love. I’m really excited to be here and see how the season goes.”

Larson’s contributions to Monza may be even more important this Wednesday, when they host fellow Italians Prosecco Doc Imoco Volley Conegliano in the first leg of the CEV Champions League quarterfinals.

With the winners of the two-leg series set to advance, Monza are just a few steps away from making history in their first appearance in the tournament. And having a player of Larson’s caliber as an alternative to Serbian Katarina Lazovic and Belarusian Hanna Dvyskiba at the outside hitter spot certainly makes a successful outcome more realistic.

“Jordan is a player that needs no introductions at all,” middle blocker and team captain Anna Danesi said. “We all know how much she can help us in the remainder of the season. She hasn’t been here for long but it’s easy to see what she can bring to the team. We’re happy she’s here and it’s great to have someone like her by our side.”

• All matches of the Italian men's and women's leagues are available to watch live or on demand on Volleyball TV.

After the all-Italian Derby in the Champions League, Monza will once again focus on the Italian League, where they are set to face Il Bisonte Firenze on Sunday.

Lega Pallavolo Serie A Femminile - Standings

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