Alan Nine
Volleyball.it moved through a June 25 news cycle shaped by competition, transfer business and federation updates. The headline result came in Ljubljana, where Italy suffered a second defeat in Pool 6 of the men’s Volleyball Nations League. Around that result, the site tracked fresh movement in the domestic market, a strong Italian coaching presence in the women’s European League, and important youth-national and regional-tournament announcements.
Men's VNL
Italy fell 3-0 to Ukraine at the Stožice Arena in Ljubljana, losing 25-23, 25-19, 25-16. The report showed Italy staying close in the opening set before Ukraine took clearer control in the second and third. Mattia Bottolo led Italy with 11 points, while Oleh Plotnytskyi and Vasyl Tupchii both scored 15 for Ukraine. Team statistics also pointed to Ukraine’s edge, with 45 winning attacks, 8 blocks and 5 aces against Italy’s 36 winning attacks, 3 blocks and 1 ace.
Ferdinando De Giorgi started with Riccardo Sbertoli and Kamil Rychlicki on the diagonal, Paolo Porro and Bottolo as outside hitters, Leandro Mosca and Giovanni Sanguinetti in the middle, and Fabio Laurenzano at libero. Volleyball.it noted that Italy will return to the court on June 26 at 20:00 against Brazil, again in Ljubljana.
The wider international VNL picture had already shifted the previous day, when Volleyball.it’s world roundup reported Ukraine beating Brazil 3-1 behind 19 points from Plotnytskyi, 17 from Tupchii and 15 from Illia Kovalov. The same report logged a 3-0 USA win over Cuba, a 3-1 Japan victory over Serbia with 22 points from Ran Takahashi, and Poland recovering from 0-2 to beat Belgium 3-2.
Italian Transfer News
The domestic market remained active. VBC Cremonese presented three additions for coach Davide Baraldi: Canadian opposite Natasha Calkins, opposite Chiara Muzi and outside hitter Irene Mescoli. Volleyball.it described the event in Cremona as both a roster presentation and a confirmation of the club’s link with BCC Credito Padano.
Tinet Prata confirmed that setter Alessio Alberini will remain in charge of the offense for what will be his fifth season with the club. The article recalled his 119 appearances in yellow and blue and framed the coming campaign as his first in SuperLega. Allianz Milano, meanwhile, added young setter Simone Porro, born in 2007, to coach Guillermo Falasca’s group alongside Santiago Orduna. Other market notes included Consar Ravenna parting ways with coach Francesco Mollo, headed to Metalurh Pernik in Bulgaria, and New Mater Volley naming Marco Paglialunga as assistant coach.
International
One of the clearest Volleyball.it themes on June 25 was the reach of Italian coaching abroad. The site highlighted that all four women’s national teams qualified for the CEV European League semifinals are led by Italian head coaches: Alessandro Orefice with Slovenia, Martino Volpini with Slovakia, Lorenzo Micelli with Sweden and Alessandro Chiappini with Hungary. Volleyball.it also noted four Italian assistants across those staffs and stressed that all four semifinalists have already secured qualification for EuroVolley 2028.
The semifinal schedule is set as home-and-away ties. Hungary will host Sweden on June 27 before the return on July 1, while Slovakia will host Slovenia on June 28 before traveling to Ljubljana for the second leg on July 1.
Youth Volleyball
Volleyball.it reported that coach Stefano Gregoris has selected the 14-player Italy squad for the Women’s Under 18 European Championship, to be played between Riga and Vilnius from July 1 to 12. Italy is in Pool I in Latvia with Belgium, the Czech Republic, Iceland, Latvia, Poland, Spain and Turkey, and will open on July 1 at 12:30 against Iceland. Gregoris told the site he is both curious and determined, while warning that only the top two teams in the pool will advance.
At regional level, the AeQuilibrium Cup - Trofeo delle Regioni completed its second phase in Catania and locked in the semifinal bracket. In the men’s draw, Lombardy will face Campania and Lazio will meet Marche on the morning of June 26. In the women’s draw, Lombardy will play host region Sicily and Piemonte will meet defending champion Veneto later the same day. Volleyball.it also noted that the first-place finals on June 27 will be shown on the Federvolley TikTok channel.
