Alan Nine
International
GENOA — Italy’s women made it two wins out of two at the AIA AeQuilibrium Cup Women Elite, beating Turkey 3–1 (25-23, 20-25, 25-13, 25-17) on Saturday night. One of the main talking points was the experiment with Ekaterina Antropova used as an outside hitter, an option that could open new tactical solutions looking ahead to Volleyball Nations League 2026.
News Mercato Italia
MILAN — The women’s transfer market delivered two official announcements on May 23. Numia Vero Volley Milano strengthened the opposite-hitter position by signing Binto Diop (2002, photo), coming off a standout Serie A1 season with Cuneo in which she scored 502 points. Milano add a left-handed, high-volume scorer who already sits on the national-team radar: Diop is among the 30 players named in Italy’s wider group toward Volleyball Nations League 2026.
FLORENCE — Il Bisonte Firenze also moved in the top division, announcing middle blocker Sara Caruso (2001, 193 cm) for 2026/27. Caruso arrives after a Serie A1 season with San Giovanni in Marignano and finished among the league’s best at the net with 51 kill blocks. Her recent form earned her a call-up in Italy’s “B” pathway toward the Mediterranean Games, and Firenze bring in a profile expected to add size and reliability in the center.
Nazionali
MILAN — Italy’s U22 women’s programme continues its build-up toward the U22 European Championship (The Hague, July 7–12). Head coach Gaetano Gagliardi called 15 players for a training camp at the Centro Pavesi from May 25 to 29, a key block in the approach to the continental event. The list includes athletes such as Safà Allaoui, Giorgia Amoruso and Teresa Maria Bosso, as the group looks to consolidate roles and combinations ahead of the summer schedule.
On the beach-volley side, the men’s national team will gather in Montesilvano from May 25 to 28 under coach Paolo Nicolai. Davide Borraccino, Andrea Sanguanini and Jack Bernardini were selected for the camp at Magister Village, with the group then moving to Cervia for a Beach Pro Tour Future stop (ending May 31). It is a clear sign of summer planning accelerating across both disciplines.
Under
ASSISI / CAORLE — The BigMat Youth National Finals narrowed down to their last four in two categories. In the U16 women’s tournament in Umbria, Valentino Ricci Imoco, Volley Friends Roma, US Torri and Club76 PlayAsti advanced to the semifinals after a morning of quarterfinals that also featured a decisive tie-break battle. In the U17 men’s finals in Caorle, the quarterfinals ended in straight sets and set up a semifinal evening with Fenice Roma Pallavolo, Conteco Check Vero Volley Monza, Marino Pallavolo Bulls CV and Allianz Diavoli Rosa still in the hunt for the title.
Grassroots activity also stays in the spotlight with the national phase of the Nuovi Giochi della Gioventù returning to Rome from May 26 to 29. The event will involve more than 6,500 participants (students, teachers and staff) from across Italy, with volleyball included in the programme alongside sitting volleyball.
