Who Is Mattia Boninfante: Stats, Career and the Setter's Jump

Mattia Boninfante is an Italian setter, born in 2004, who from the 2026/27 season plays for Zenit St Petersburg in Russia after two years at Cucine Lube Civitanova. People are talking about him because by 21 he had already won the Coppa Italia as a starter and been named best under-23 in SuperLega: he's the Italian setter people have bet on most in recent years.

Profile: the essentials

• Full name: Mattia Boninfante
• Born: 24 June 2004, in Venice
• Position: setter
• Height: 190 cm according to his Lega Pallavolo Serie A profile
• Club 2026/27: Zenit St Petersburg, Russian Superliga
• National team: Italy. His Lega Volley profile lists 11 caps; he's on the 30-man list for VNL 2026
• Trivia: his father is Dante Boninfante, also a setter

We're not linking an Instagram profile because we haven't verified an official one, and we're not publishing photos of him because we don't hold the rights.

His path through the clubs

Boninfante climbed the ladder cleanly, one division at a time. Serie B at Treviso in 2020/21, then two seasons at Prata di Pordenone going up from A3 to A2, then his first year in Serie A1 at Modena in 2023/24.

In the summer of 2024 came the big call: a three-year contract with Cucine Lube Civitanova. Two seasons as a leading man, wearing number 8.

In 2026 the paths split and he picked a destination that's off the usual map for a 22-year-old Italian: Zenit St Petersburg announced him in June. If you've read elsewhere that he was staying in Italy, that information is out of date.

Honours and the national team

In his two years at Lube he put the 2024/25 Coppa Italia in the cabinet, played two straight Scudetto finals and the 2025 Challenge Cup final. At the end of the 2024/25 season he received the Gianfranco Badiali award as best under-23 in SuperLega, the same honour that went to Luca Porro the following season.

With Italy he's inside the group: 11 caps according to Lega Volley and a call-up to the 30-man list for the 2026 Volleyball Nations League.

What it physically takes to set at a high level

Setter is the position where the physical side shows least and matters more than it looks.

You don't need the highest jump on the team. You need to get to the ball before the ball gets to you, and to get there balanced. That's a completely different kind of preparation.

• Speed over the first few metres. The setter starts in position 1, moves to the net and has to be still and under the ball when it comes down. It's only a few metres: acceleration and braking count, not top speed.
• Braking and a stable plant. If you arrive running and can't stop yourself, the set goes long. The ability to decelerate is eccentric strength, and it can be trained.
• A controlled jump, several times a set. Jump setting is standard now. It isn't a max jump, it's a repeated one where you have to stay precise: arms stable, hips under control.
• A solid core. Setting in the air, turned, with your arms above your head, needs the middle to hold. If the torso opens up, the ball changes trajectory.
• Reliable ankles. Under the net you often land close to other people's feet. Serious ankle stability work is prevention, not decoration.

If you're a setter and you train like an outside hitter, you're aiming at the wrong target. You need reactivity, braking and control, not peak vertical.

So where's your jump right now?

Even if the jump isn't your main weapon, measuring it tells you how your nervous system and your legs are doing. A jump that drops week after week is often the first sign of accumulated fatigue, before you even feel it.

With the free JHP jump test you upload a two-second video and get your height in centimetres from flight time. It runs in the browser, the video stays on your phone. Take the number today and take it again in a few weeks.

Then, if you want structure, take a look at the JHP programmes.

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• Emerging Italian men's volleyball players 2026/27: who to watch in SuperLega
• Setting: the number one fundamental in volleyball