Alan Nine
Volleyball.it spent June 17 moving across three clear tracks: the return of international competition for Italy in the women’s Volleyball Nations League, another dense block of domestic transfer-market news, and fresh club-structure developments in SuperLega. The day did not revolve around a single overwhelming headline, but it did deliver a consistent picture of a sport already deep into summer roster building while national teams continue their weekly rhythm.
International
PASIG CITY - Italy opened Pool 5 of the second intercontinental week in the best possible way, beating the Czech Republic 3-0 at Pasig City. The azzurre closed the match with set scores of 25-18, 25-21 and 25-22, staying in control of the contest even when the second set became more complicated. The result lifted the team to five wins in the overall standings and immediately set up the next appointment, with Serbia scheduled for June 18 at 14:00 Italian time.
The match also carried two individual notes highlighted by the source report: the return of Sarah Fahr and the first official senior appearance for Josephina Obossa, who started the match. In the scoreline, Paola Egonu was not part of this particular item because the article instead pointed to Ekaterina Antropova as Italy’s leading scorer with 21 points, followed by Fahr on 13 and Stella Nervini on 12. Coach Julio Velasco described the 3-0 as especially valuable in the race toward the Finals, while also noting that the group still has room to improve, particularly in reception.
Italian Transfer News
The busiest section again came from the Italian market. Savino Del Bene Scandicci announced the arrival of outside hitter Sofia D’Odorico for 2026/27 after her last three seasons in Pinerolo, later Monviso Volley. The article recalled her 2025/26 league production of 274 points, 24 winning blocks and 22 aces in 25 Serie A1 appearances, presenting her as an experienced and balanced addition for the Tuscan side.
Numia Vero Volley Milano also added a new middle blocker, signing Belarusian 2008-born prospect Aida Dautova (photo). At 201 centimetres, Dautova arrives after her season with Volero Le Cannet, where she played both in the French league and in the CEV Champions League. The source article underlined one striking number from that European campaign: 80 points in eight matches, an early indicator of why Milano views her as a player for both the present and the future.
In the men’s game, Yuasa Battery Grottazzolina opened its market by signing outside hitter Oreste Cavuto on a two-year deal after his Brescia spell. The club presentation stressed not only his experience across Trento, Ravenna and Cisterna, but also his 70 appearances for Italy between VNL, the European Championship and the World Cup. Rinascita Volley Lagonegro, meanwhile, chose a much younger profile by bringing in Greek 2008-born outside hitter Stavros Mouchlias, a player the source described as one of the most interesting prospects of his generation after his youth path with PAOK Thessaloniki and his scoring output at the 2023 Under 17 European Championship.
Another addition arrived from Atlantide Pallavolo Brescia, which announced outside hitter Mattia Vagnini, born in 2007 and developed between Polisportiva Bottega, Lube Civitanova, Montesi Volley Pesaro and, most recently, Modena Volley. The source piece framed him as a young attacker carrying two seasons of Serie B work and first contact with the SuperLega environment through training sessions with Modena’s first team.
SuperLega
Cucine Lube Civitanova produced one of the day’s main structural stories by appointing Marko Podrascanin (photo) as sporting director. For the former Serbian middle blocker, born in 1987, it is his first executive role after a long playing career and a deep connection with the club that first brought him to Italy in 2007. In a separate follow-up item, the Lube ownership explained that the appointment was made with strong conviction and presented it as a choice built on continuity, identity and trust in a figure already closely tied to the club’s values.
The day also brought a different kind of SuperLega note from Perugia. Sir Susa Scai Perugia announced its July 1 Grande Slam Party in Piazza IV Novembre, with the club preparing a public celebration around the four trophies won during the season. According to the source piece, the evening in the city center will begin at 20:00 and will revolve around music, talk segments and the trophies themselves, a public closing image for one of the strongest seasons in the club’s history.
Taken together, June 17 showed the usual summer split in Italian volleyball: national-team competition remained active at international level, while clubs kept moving at speed in the market and, in some cases, inside their own executive structures. Italy’s clean start in Pasig City gave the day its result-based headline, but the volume of roster and management news confirmed that the domestic build-up to 2026/27 is already fully underway.
