| Clubname: | Pallavolo Femminile Matera |
| Nickname: | PVF Matera |
| Founded: | 1976 |
| Dissolved: | 2000 |
| Refounded: | 2012 |
| Dissolved2: | 2013 |
| Ground: | PalaSassi, Matera |
| Capacity: | 2,000 |
| Colors: | White and Green |
| Chairman: | Various over time |
| Manager: | Various over time |
| League: | Italian Volleyball League |
| Pattern La1: | _whiteshoulders |
| Pattern B1: | _thinwhitesides |
| Pattern Ra1: | _whiteshoulders |
| Leftarm1: | 008000 |
| Body1: | 008000 |
| Rightarm1: | 008000 |
| Shorts1: | 008000 |
| Socks1: | FFFFFF |
| Pattern La2: | _shouldersonblack |
| Pattern B2: | _whiteshoulders |
| Pattern Ra2: | _shouldersonblack |
| Leftarm2: | FFFFFF |
| Body2: | FFFFFF |
| Rightarm2: | FFFFFF |
| Shorts2: | 000000 |
| Socks2: | 000000 |
Pallavolo Femminile Matera, commonly referred to as PVF Matera, was a women's volleyball team based in Matera, Italy. The club was a dominant force in Italian and Global volleyball during the 1990s, winning several national and international titles. Matera won the Italian Women's Volleyball Championship four times (1992-1995) and the Italian Women's Volleyball Cup three times (1993-1995). Internationally, secured two CEV Women's Champions League titles (1993, 1996), two CEV Women's Challenge Cups (1991, 1992), and one Women's Volleyball European Super Cup (1993). Matera also finished as Vice World Champion, reaching the World Championship final.[1]
The club was founded in 1976 under the name Polisportiva Libertas Materana, with white and light blue as the original colors. It quickly rose through the ranks of Italian volleyball, reaching the Serie A2 by the 1985-86 season. Two years later, in the 1987-88 season, under the sponsorship of Landsystem, the team achieved its first promotion to Serie A1, the top division of Italian volleyball.[2]
In their debut season in Serie A1, now sporting white and green colors, the team reached the quarter-finals of the playoffs. The following season, in 1989-90, the team reached the semifinals, and from then on, PVF Matera became a regular contender in the playoffs.[3]
The early 1990s marked the golden era for PVF Matera. In 1991, the team won its first international title, the CEV Cup, defeating Reggio Emilia in the final. The following year, they repeated the feat by beating Modena, becoming the first club to win back-to-back CEV Cups.[4]
The 1991-92 season saw Matera win its first Italian Championship under coach Giorgio Barbieri. The team, led by players such as Consuelo Mangifesta, Prikeba Phipps, and Annamaria Marasi, defeated Sirio Perugia in the finals. This victory marked the first time a club from the Basilicata region won the Italian title, breaking the dominance of the powerful Olimpia Ravenna.
In the 1992-93 season, with the sponsorship of Parmalat (Latte Rugiada), Matera achieved a historic treble, winning the league, the Coppa Italia, and the prestigious CEV Champions League. [5]
Under coach Massimo Barbolini, PVF Matera continued its dominance, winning additional league titles in 1993-94 and 1994-95, along with two more Coppa Italia trophies. The team also triumphed in the 1995-96 CEV Champions League, defeating Uraločka in the final. Matera also reached the final of the 1994 FIVB Women's Club World Championship, finishing as runners-up to Leite Moça of Brazil.[6]
The late 1990s saw the gradual decline of PVF Matera. The team continued to compete in the top tier of Italian volleyball, but financial difficulties, exacerbated by the collapse of Parmalat, forced the club to sell its sporting rights to Reggio Emilia after the 1999-2000 season. The club was disbanded shortly thereafter.
A brief attempt was made to revive the team in 2012, but it was short-lived, and the club dissolved again after the 2012-13 season. [7] [8] [9]