Redazione Volleyball.it
International
Italy’s women’s national team enters the spotlight in Genoa, where Julio Velasco’s side is preparing for the AIA AeQuilibrium Cup Women Elite. The tournament brings together Italy, Serbia, Turkey and Poland, giving the Azzurre an important early test before the start of the 2026 Volleyball Nations League.
The Italian roster confirms the transitional nature of this phase. Setters Carlotta Cambi and Francesca Scola lead the playmaking group, while Merit Adigwe, Bintu Diop and Josephine Obossa are listed as opposites. The outside-hitter department includes Alice Tanase, Stella Nervini, Loveth Omoruyi, Gaia Giovannini and Ekaterina Antropova, whose possible use in the outside role is one of the more interesting tactical notes of the tournament.
In the middle, Italy can count on Denise Meli, Dalila Marchesini, Linda Nwakalor and Linda Manfredini, with Ilaria Spirito and Eleonora Fersino as liberos. The group is notably missing several leading names from recent seasons, including Paola Egonu, Myriam Sylla, Anna Danesi, Sarah Fahr and Alessia Orro, making Genoa a useful testing ground for new balances and younger options.
Serbia arrive under Zoran Terzic, Turkey are coached by Italian technician Daniele Santarelli, and Poland are led by another Italian coach, Stefano Lavarini. That gives the tournament a strong international profile, but also a clear Italian coaching thread running through three of the four benches.
Champions League
The most analytical story of the day came from the men’s Champions League final in Turin. Volleyball.it reported that the 2026 final between Perugia and Zawiercie at the Inalpi Arena drew 5,800 spectators in a venue with a capacity of 15,657, equal to just 37% occupancy.
That figure is striking because, according to the analysis, it represents the lowest attendance percentage for a men’s Champions League final since the competition took its current name in 2001. Recent editions had performed far better: Lodz 2025 reached 78%, Antalya 2024 reached 85%, and Turin 2023, despite not selling out, still reached 67%.
The 2026 number therefore opens a broader debate about event organisation, ticket pricing, venue selection and promotion. A Volleyball.it+ poll pointed strongly toward ticket prices as the main perceived reason for the poor turnout, with 63.9% of respondents identifying cost as the central issue. On court, Perugia lifted the trophy; in the stands, however, the image was one of a continental final struggling to match the public impact expected from the sport’s top club competition.
Foreign Transfer Market
The Italian coaching presence abroad continues with the return of Alberto Giuliani to Olympiacos. The Greek club has handed the Italian coach a 2+1 year contract, bringing him back to Piraeus after a successful previous spell in 2022/23, when he won both the Greek championship and the Challenge Cup.
Giuliani returns to a club he knows well and described with clear emotional attachment after the official announcement. His staff and team project will also include another Italian name: setter Michele Baranowicz, who arrives after last season with Cuneo. For Olympiacos, the move signals ambition both domestically and in Europe.
Italian Transfer Market
In Italy, several clubs used the day to define pieces of their future. Cucine Lube Civitanova confirmed libero Francesco Bisotto until 2029, extending the contract of the 2002-born player for three more seasons. The decision rewards a player who has grown steadily within the club’s technical project.
UYBA Busto Arsizio also looked to the future by signing setter Asia Spaziano. Born in 2007, Spaziano comes from Club Italia in Serie A2 and has already been part of Italy’s youth national-team pathway. Her arrival adds a young Italian prospect to the Busto Arsizio roster.
In Serie A2 women, Trentino Volley confirmed Alessandro Beltrami as head coach for the 2026/27 season. The club will also promote Cataldo Di Michele to assistant coach, replacing Michele Parusso in the staff structure.
Abroad
Another significant international move concerns François Salvagni, who will coach the Orlando Valkyries in Major League Volleyball after his 2025/26 season with Cuneo. The appointment makes Salvagni the first Italian coach in the history of the American league, underlining once again the export value of Italian volleyball expertise.
