The Italian volleyball team isn’t finished; it’s just recharging its batteries

Is the golden age of Italian volleyball really over? We have no doubt that some people have asked themselves this question. For us, this (spurious) question serves to draw you in to what the answer will be. Let’s start from the beginning. The Volleyball Nations League (hereinafter referred to simply as the VNL) concluded with a bronze medal for the women’s national team and a disappointing exit in the quarter-finals against the USA for the men’s side. This is a far cry from what both teams have shown over the past season. Both are World Champions (much like Spain in football); the women’s and men’s teams have players capable of beating anyone. Provided, however, that they actually play.

And here’s the crux of the matter: the Olympic champions, coached by Julio Velasco, took to the court for most of the tournament without four of their seven first-choice players, not to mention that libero Eleonora Fersino (who was excellent) was making her first start since Monica De Gennaro’s departure, and whilst Stella Nervini did feature at the World Championships, she is still very young. The core players – Egonu, Orro, Sylla and Danesi – took a break and only returned just before the finals. This was no secret to anyone. So, in the five-set defeat to Brazil in the semi-final, the starting line-up was indeed present, but with very few minutes of playing time under their belts. “It’s wrong to think you can always win, especially after two years like the ones we’ve just left behind; I liked our reaction, though.” These were the words of Alessia Orro following the victory over China, which secured them the bronze medal in the VNL and €350,000 in prize money. Not to mention the second aspect.

The summer had begun with Velasco’s intention to move Kate Antropova from opposite to outside hitter and have her and Egonu play together when Paola returned. It was regrettable that, after two rounds of the VNL, Velasco himself declared the experiment over and Antropova returned to position 2 to spike the ball as she does best. But what ultimately prevented the Italian team from reaching the final was, ironically, the very thing that had guaranteed their success over the past two years: the rotation of the two opposites. Against Brazil, neither Antropova nor the returning Egonu managed to lead the team to victory. What a shame.

There is now just one question to be resolved ahead of the European Championships: who will be the starting opposite for the Italian national team, which makes its debut on 21 August in Gothenburg against Croatia? Ekaterina Antropova, who has played throughout the summer and has now reached the level of her iconic teammate-rival, or Paola Egonu, who remains the strongest opposite currently playing in Italy? Because Turkey, who beat Brazil and won the VNL, have Melissa Vargas as their mainstay. “After years of immense pressure, it was only right to give these girls an extra break, and the mere fact that they were with us training and playing leads me to believe we’ll arrive at the European Championships in excellent shape,” concludes Velasco, quite rightly confident. It’s just around the corner.

Then there are the men’s teams. Here, the situation is a little more complex. This is because the absences are due to injuries. The men’s teams also began the tournament without some of their regular starters, but in the case of Ferdinando De Giorgi’s side, with a view to the European Championships, the main focus is on the physical recovery of two of the team’s key players: Daniele Lavia and Alessandro Michieletto. Whilst the former has had a start to 2026 that has seen him gradually regain his place on the court and his confidence in attack (will that be enough?), it is the latter who is keeping everyone on tenterhooks. For the World Championship MVP, 2026 got off to a terrible start. A stress fracture in his back has forced him to take a break – his last match was as far back as 21 January – and whilst the VNL was certainly not a priority, a full recovery ahead of September’s European Championships in Italy certainly is. However, that still seems a long way off. Michieletto is training (and the same question applies to him: will it be enough?), whilst in the meantime there are Mattia Bottolo and Luca Porro, who are coming off the back of a very successful season with Civitanova and Modena, but hopes of winning European gold on home soil depend on having at least the same players available who, a year ago, proved themselves to be the best in the world.

There’s still a month to go, though. On 10 September, the Azzurri’s dreams will set off from Naples (Piazza del Plebiscito, to be precise). Then it’s on to Modena, Turin and the finals in Milan. The disappointment of the VNL (won once again by Poland) is now behind us. “We could have performed better, but the result of a single match mustn’t overshadow our progress. We’re preparing for the European Championships with optimism,” says Fefè De Giorgi. “Not least because we want to deliver a result in front of our fans,” continues Yuri Romanò, the Italian opposite hitter whose form has remained consistently high for the past five years. May Italy be with him. Because the golden moments of volleyball are defined by generations, and this one is far from over.

And then there is a battle that unites the whole of Italian volleyball. Never before have they been so united against the potential changes proposed by the FIVB, the international federation. In response to the proposal to organise international events during the winter months, the men’s and women’s leagues have issued a joint statement (which in itself is enough to highlight the seriousness of the matter), declaring: “It would seriously compromise the regularity of the national leagues, undermine the economic, social and sporting value that clubs have built up over the years through substantial investment, disrupt the technical and athletic preparation of the teams, increase the risk of injuries and render an already excessively congested calendar definitively unsustainable. Respect for the national leagues is non-negotiable.” The issue of international fixtures has always existed, dating back to the 1990s, but this time Italian volleyball must present a united front. And the players, who have reluctantly accepted a World Championship every two years and a VNL that lasts two months every summer, are fully behind their clubs.