Learn Italian: Con questa tattica, difendi meglio della volta scorsa. - With this tactic, you defend better than last time.

Meglio is an adverb, meaning it describes an action. In this sentence, it describes how you defend (difendi). If you were describing a noun, like a better tactic, you would use the adjective migliore (una tattica migliore).

Why does the sentence use della to mean than?

When making a comparison before a noun phrase like la volta scorsa (the last time), you use di for than. Because volta is feminine singular, di combines with the article la to become della. You would generally use che for than if you were comparing two verbs or adjectives.

I learned that time is tempo. Why does this sentence use volta?

Tempo refers to time as a flowing concept, like time passing on a clock or the weather. Volta is used for specific instances or occurrences, such as last time, this time, or three times.

Why is the word for last written as scorsa here?

Scorso is an adjective that means last or past, and it has to agree with the noun it modifies. Because volta is feminine and singular, the adjective changes its ending to match, becoming scorsa.