Alan Nine
The latest Volleyball.it news from the last 24 hours revolved around four clear themes: the arrival of Italy in Ljubljana for the second men’s Volleyball Nations League pool, the updated picture in the women’s VNL after the end of week two, a busy day on the Italian transfer market, and the official opening of the AeQuilibrium Cup - Trofeo delle Regioni in Catania. The agenda was shaped less by a single match result than by a broader shift into the next phase of the international and domestic season.
Men’s VNL
Italy arrived in Ljubljana on June 22 for Pool 6 of the men’s VNL, where the azzurri will face Bulgaria, Ukraine, Brazil and Slovenia between June 24 and 28. The team comes into the second week after taking three wins from four matches in Canada, and the source report framed the Slovenian stop as an important chance to build continuity in the overall standings.
Riccardo Sbertoli, making his first appearance in the 2026 VNL, said he arrived with very positive feelings after his training block in Cavalese. Daniele Lavia will captain the side this week, and head coach Ferdinando De Giorgi selected a 14-man roster including setters Paolo Porro and Sbertoli, middles Gianluca Galassi and Lorenzo Cortesia, outside hitters Francesco Sani, Mattia Bottolo, Lavia and Luca Porro, opposites Kamil Rychlicki and Alessandro Bovolenta, and liberos Gabriele Laurenzano and Domenico Pace.
Women’s VNL
The women’s VNL statistical roundup published on June 22 confirmed a tighter table at the end of week two. The United States and Brazil both lead on 20 points after eight matches, with the Americans ahead on set ratio, while Italy sits third on 18 points. Poland, Japan and Turkey remain close behind, underlining how little margin separates the leading teams heading into the next leg of the round robin.
The same report highlighted several of the weekend’s defining results: the United States beat Serbia 3-1, Germany handed Brazil a 3-2 defeat, and Turkey came back to edge China 3-2 with Melissa Teresa Vargas scoring 36 points. On the Italian side, the statistics from the 3-0 win over Japan showed Ekaterina Antropova as top scorer with 17 points, while Linda Nwakalor led the blocking figures for the azzurre with three stuffs. Kiera Van Ryk of Canada remains the overall top scorer of the competition so far with 174 points.
Italian Transfer News
Two of the day’s clearest market headlines involved proven international profiles joining ambitious Italian clubs. Savino Del Bene Scandicci officially signed Belgian opposite Lise Van Hecke for the 2026-27 season, bringing her back to Serie A1 after four seasons in Japan. Her previous Italian spells came with Urbino, Piacenza, Pesaro, Cuneo and Monza, and she closed the latest regular season with Osaka Marvelous on 743 points in 44 matches, plus 93 more points in the playoffs.
Itas Trentino also confirmed a major addition with the arrival of Brazilian outside hitter Adriano Fernandes Procopio Xavier Cavalcante on a two-year deal. The 201-centimetre player, born in 2002, joins from Volei Renata after five SuperLiga seasons and will be playing outside Brazil for the first time. The source article stressed both his international experience with Brazil, already 65 caps, and his recent individual recognition, including best outside hitter awards in the Brazilian league and at the South American Club Championship.
Youth Volleyball
The federation day closed in Catania, where the opening ceremony launched the 41st edition of the AeQuilibrium Cup - Trofeo delle Regioni. The 42 regional selections marched from the port through the historic center to Piazza Universita, with the Fanfare of the 12th Carabinieri Regiment of Sicily accompanying the parade. The ceremony also included the presence of federal vice president Massimo Sala, Sicily regional president Antonio Locandro and Olympic silver medallist Valerio Vermiglio, who serves as the federation testimonial for this edition.
Competition begins on June 23 at 9 a.m., with almost 600 young athletes scheduled to play across ten venues in Catania and nearby municipalities including Viagrande, Aci Sant'Antonio, Aci Catena, Gravina di Catania, Misterbianco, Ficarazzi and San Giovanni la Punta. For the fourth straight year, every match will be streamed live on the Italian Volleyball Federation YouTube channel, while the official event website will carry live scores, news and photo galleries throughout the week.
