Marta Menegatti facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Marta Menegatti

Menegatti in 2012
Personal information
Born	(1990-08-16) 16 August 1990 (age 34) Rovigo, Italy
Years active	2006–present
Height	1.80 m
Sport
Sport	Beach volleyball
Position	Left side/defender
Partner	Valentina Gottardi (2023–)
Former partner(s)	Greta Cicolari (2009–13) Laura Giombini (2016, 2018) Rebecca Perry (2017) Viktoria Orsi Toth (2013–16, 2018–)
Coached by	Lissandro Carvalho (2009–13, 2015–17) Paulo Moreira Da Costa (2014) Terenzio Feroleto (2018–)
Achievements and titles
Highest world ranking	No. 4 (20 August 2012)
Medal record Women's beach volleyball Representing  Italy Event 1st 2nd 3rd World Tour 2 7 7 European Championships 1 1 0 Mediterranean Games 1 0 0 U21 World Championships 0 1 0 U19 World Championships 0 1 0 U23 European Championships 0 1 0 U20 European Championships 1 0 0 Total 5 11 7 World Tour Gold 2015 Sochi Open Gold 2018 Agadir 2-star Silver 2010 Phuket Open Silver 2011 Myslowice Open Silver 2012 Beijing Grand Slam Silver 2012 Stare Jablonki Grand Slam Silver 2014 Klagenfurt Grand Slam Silver 2015 Antalya Open Silver 2018 Qinzhou 3-star Bronze 2011 Gstaad Grand Slam Bronze 2011 Phuket Open Bronze 2012 Brasília Open Bronze 2012 Berlin Grand Slam Bronze 2015 Moscow Grand Slam Bronze 2015 Puerto Vallarta Open Bronze 2018 Shepparton 1-star European Championships Gold 2011 Kristiansand Team Silver 2024 Netherlands Women's Mediterranean Games Gold 2013 Mersin Team U21 World Championships Silver 2010 Alanya Team U19 World Championships Silver 2007 Mysłowice Team U23 European Championships Silver 2010 Kos Team U20 European Championships Gold 2009 Kos Team
Updated on 30 December 2018.

Marta Menegatti (born August 16, 1990) is an Italian beach volleyball player. She plays as a defender, usually on the left side of the court. With her former teammate Greta Cicolari, she reached a career-high world ranking of No. 4 in August 2012.

Marta has won many medals on the FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour. These include two gold, seven silver, and seven bronze medals. She also became the European champion in 2011. In 2013, she won the Mediterranean Games championship. Both of these wins were with Greta Cicolari. Marta Menegatti represented Italy at the 2012 and 2016 Summer Olympics. She finished fifth in 2012 and ninth in 2016.

Marta comes from a family of athletes. She started playing indoor volleyball when she was nine. She began playing beach volleyball a few years later. She quickly became a talented junior player. She won medals at four World and European Championships for young players. Marta joined the World Tour with Greta Cicolari in 2009. They soon became one of the top teams. After changing partners, Marta won her first World Tour title in 2015. She is known as a complete player who is very good at defense. In 2011, she was named the FIVB Most Improved Player.

Early Life and Start in Volleyball

Marta Menegatti was born in Rovigo, Italy. She grew up in Ariano nel Polesine. Her family loved sports. Her father played amateur football. Her mother played indoor volleyball. Her younger brother, Pietro, is a football goalkeeper.

Marta tried different sports as a child, like synchronized swimming and dance. At age nine, she started playing indoor volleyball. She played for youth teams in Taglio di Po and Jolanda di Savoia. In 2004, before she turned 14, Marta joined the indoor volleyball club ASD Teodora Ravenna. She moved to Ravenna and played there for five years.

While in Ravenna, Marta's indoor club often practiced on a local beach. This led her to try beach volleyball. She started playing beach volleyball in 2005 or 2006. At first, she found it hard because of the sand. But Marta saw it as a challenge to get better. She later said that the difficulty of beach volleyball made her love it more than indoor volleyball.

Soon after starting, she played in her first beach tournament. It was a national youth competition. She finished second and was chosen for the junior national team. Marta continued to play both beach and indoor volleyball for several years. She played beach tournaments during the summer off-season.

Career Highlights

Junior Years: 2006–2008

Marta Menegatti made her first international appearance in August 2006. She played in a Challenger and Satellite circuit event. She and her partner, Debora Pini, finished ninth. From 2006 to 2008, Marta played for Italy in many youth championships. These included the U20 European, U19 World, and U21 World Championships. She won her first international medal as a junior in 2007. She and Gilda Lombardo were runners-up at the U19 World Championships.

Partnering with Cicolari: 2009–2012

In 2009, at 19, Marta was asked to join the Italian beach volleyball national team. She stopped playing indoor volleyball to focus on beach volleyball. Her coach, Lissandro Carvalho, introduced her to Greta Cicolari. They started playing together and won several medals in 2009.

Marta and Greta played their first FIVB World Tour event in September 2009. They finished 13th. One month later, they reached the semifinals at another World Tour event. They were the first Italian women's team to reach a World Tour semifinal since 2001. They ended their first year together ranked No. 43 in the world.

Marta also continued to play in youth events. In August 2009, she won the U20 European Championships with Debora Allegretti.

In May 2010, Marta and Greta played in a major World Tour event in Rome. They finished ninth. Later that year, Marta played with Valeria Rosso while Greta was recovering from an injury. Marta and Valeria became the first Italian pair to reach a World Tour final. They won silver at the Phuket Open in November. Marta and Greta ended 2010 ranked No. 23 in the world.

Marta also won two more medals in youth competitions in 2010. She won silver at the U23 European Championships with Laura Giombini. She also won silver at the U21 World Championships with Viktoria Orsi Toth.

In 2011, Marta and Greta won three medals on the World Tour. They won silver at the Myslowice Open in May. In July, they won bronze at the Gstaad Grand Slam. They beat famous players like Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh Jennings. Marta said it was "the most important victory of our career." They finished the year by winning another bronze medal at the Phuket Open.

Marta (right) gets ready to receive a serve in 2011.

Marta and Greta played in their first World Championships in Rome in 2011. They reached the Round of 16. They ended the year ranked sixth in the world. Marta was also named the FIVB Most Improved Player.

The pair competed in the European Championships for the first time in August 2011. They reached the final and won the gold medal. They became the new European champions.

London Olympics and Partner Change: 2012–2013

Before the 2012 Summer Olympics, Marta and Greta played in seven World Tour events. They won three medals: a bronze in Brasília, a silver in Beijing, and another bronze in Berlin. They beat many top teams from Brazil and the United States. Marta missed the European Championships in May to avoid making a shoulder injury worse.

Marta at the 2012 Summer Olympics.

Marta and Greta qualified for the London Olympics in June 2012. They were ranked No. 5 in the world. They won all their matches in the group stage. They then won their first knockout match. In the quarterfinals, they played against May-Treanor and Walsh Jennings. The American team won, ending Marta and Greta's Olympic journey. Marta was very sad to lose, especially to her hero, May-Treanor.

A few days after the Olympics, they played their last tournament of the year. They finished second at the Stare Jablonki Grand Slam. After this, Marta and Greta reached their highest world ranking of No. 4.

In June 2013, Marta and Greta played for Italy at the Mediterranean Games. They won all their matches without losing a set. They won the gold medal. The pair also played in the World Championships in July. They reached the quarterfinals.

After the World Championships, Marta and Greta stopped playing together. Marta then teamed up with Viktoria Orsi Toth. Marta and Viktoria played their first tournament together in July 2013. Their results improved quickly. They finished fourth at two Grand Slams in Moscow and São Paulo. They ended their first season together ranked No. 44 in the world.

First World Tour Title: 2014–2015

In early 2014, Paulo Moreira Da Costa became Marta and Viktoria's new coach. They had a slow start to the season. Viktoria also sprained her ankle, making them miss a tournament. They finally won their first World Tour medal together in September 2014. They won silver at the São Paulo Grand Slam. They beat top teams like Walsh Jennings and April Ross. They were unable to win the final match. They also finished fifth at the European Championships. They ended 2014 ranked tenth in the world.

Lissandro Carvalho returned as their coach in 2015. Marta and Viktoria started the year with a bronze medal at the Moscow Grand Slam in May. Marta had some injuries in the first half of the season. She missed the 2015 European Championships in July due to an abdominal problem. Their results got better in September. They won their first World Tour title at the Sochi Open. They were the first Italian women's team to ever win a World Tour event. Marta and Viktoria then won two more medals. They won bronze at the Puerto Vallarta Open and silver at the Antalya Open. They were the eighth-ranked team in the world at the end of 2015.

Rio Olympics and Partner Changes: 2016–2018

Marta and Viktoria did not win any medals on the World Tour in 2016. They qualified for the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. They were ranked No. 7 in the world. However, Viktoria Orsi Toth was unable to play in the Olympics. Laura Giombini was brought in as Marta's new partner. Laura arrived in Rio just three days before their first match.

Marta and Laura both usually played as right-side defenders. So, they had to change their roles. Laura became the blocker, and Marta moved to the left side. They had only three practices together. In their first match, they had trouble working together. They lost two group stage matches but still made it to the knockout stage. They lost to Walsh Jennings and April Ross in the next round, ending their Olympic journey.

After 2016, Marta announced that Rebecca Perry would be her new partner. This allowed Marta to return to her preferred position as a right-side defender. However, Marta and Rebecca struggled on the World Tour. Marta's world ranking dropped. Her longtime coach, Carvalho, also left the team. Terenzio Feroleto became the new coach in 2018.

Marta reunited with Laura Giombini for the first half of 2018. The plan was for Marta to play with Viktoria Orsi Toth again later in the season. Marta and Laura won a bronze medal at the Shepparton Open. They also played in the European Championships. They upset a top-seeded German team but lost in the first knockout round. The bronze in Shepparton was Marta's only medal in 19 international events with Giombini and Perry.

Orsi Toth's Return: 2018–Present

Viktoria Orsi Toth returned to international competition in July 2018. She started playing with Marta again. They won their first tournament back together, the Agadir Open. The next week, they played in a major event in Vienna. They upset two top teams in the group stage. They reached the Round of 16. Viktoria's return brought a big change for Marta. They finished in the top ten in all seven World Tour events they played. This included a second-place finish in October. They ended 2018 ranked No. 25 in the world.

How Marta Plays

Marta Menegatti is a defender. She is right-handed and plays on the left side of the court. She used to play on the right side. But she switched to the left when she played with Laura Giombini at the 2016 Olympics. She has continued to play on the left side since then.

Experts have praised Marta's skills. One expert called her one of the best technical players in the world in 2015. Another described her as a complete player. She is very good at defense. She often helps her team win points when they are serving. In 2015, she had the third-highest serve efficiency among many players. This means she won points on her serve over 43% of the time. She was also ranked high for serve efficiency in 2016.

An Olympic gold medalist noted that Marta is great at turning defense into offense. Before a period of struggle after the Rio Olympics, she was known as one of the most consistent players.

When she plays with Viktoria Orsi Toth, opponents often serve to Viktoria. This is because they are afraid of Marta's strong play. Marta has taken on a leadership role with Viktoria. She is more experienced than Viktoria. Marta says she enjoys being a leader. She describes herself as a more "explosive" player compared to Viktoria's calm style.

Personal Life

Marta Menegatti finished secondary school with a diploma in accounting. She also specialized in foreign languages. She then studied at the University of L'Aquila. Since December 2009, she has been a member of the Centro Sportivo Aeronautica Militare. This means she is part of the Italian Air Force. She receives a monthly payment from them. As members of the Air Force, Marta and Greta Cicolari took part in the 2011 Military World Games.

Marta has several sponsors. These include Mikasa Sports (sports equipment), Oakley, Inc. (eyewear), and Adidas (sportswear). She has also been a brand ambassador for Shiseido (beauty products).

Since she was young, Marta has admired Misty May-Treanor. She liked her playing style and how she acted on the court. During matches, Marta wears pearl earrings. They were a gift from her parents. She wears them as a way to feel like her parents are with her. Marta was in a relationship with fellow Italian beach volleyball player Alex Ranghieri.

Career Statistics

World Tour Finals: 9 (2 Gold, 7 Silver)

Result	W–L	Date	Tournament	Tier	Partner	Opponents	Score
Loss	0–1	Nov 2010	Phuket Open	$190K	Valeria Rosso	Nicole Branagh Kerri Walsh Jennings	23–21, 14–21, 11–15 (1:03)
Loss	0–2	May 2011	Myslowice Open	$190K	Greta Cicolari	Sanne Keizer Marleen van Iersel	17–21, 18–21 (0:39)
Loss	0–3	May 2012	Beijing Grand Slam	$300K	Greta Cicolari	Juliana Silva Larissa França	13–21, 15–21 (0:33)
Loss	0–4	Aug 2012	Stare Jablonki Grand Slam	$300K	Greta Cicolari	Juliana Silva Larissa França	16–21, 20–22 (0:38)
Loss	0–5	Sep 2014	São Paulo Grand Slam	$400K	Viktoria Orsi Toth	Larissa França Talita Antunes	21–18, 21–23, 19–21 (0:55)
Win	1–5	Sep 2015	Sochi Open	$75K	Viktoria Orsi Toth	Isabelle Forrer Anouk Vergé-Dépré	21–19, 21–16 (0:41)
Loss	1–6	Oct 2015	Antalya Open	$75K	Viktoria Orsi Toth	Markéta Sluková Barbora Hermannová	15–21, 17–21 (0:40)
Win	2–6	July 2018	Agadir, Morocco	$50K	Viktoria Orsi Toth	Martina Bonnerova Sarka Nakladalova	19–21, 21–19, 15–12 (0:56)
Loss	2–7	Oct 2018	Qinzhou, China	$75K	Viktoria Orsi Toth	Rebecca Cavalcanti Ana Patricia Silva	21–18, 15–21, 12–15 (0:44)

European Finals: 1 (1 Gold)

Result	W–L	Date	Tournament	Partner	Opponents	Score
Win	1–0	Aug 2011	European Championships	Greta Cicolari	Barbara Hansel Sara Montagnolli	21–10, 21–12 (0:31)

Performance Timeline

Key

Current through the 2018 FIVB World Tour Finals.

Images for kids

• 

  Greta Cicolari (left) and Marta in 2011.

See also

In Spanish: Marta Menegatti para niños