Alan Nine
Volleyball.it closed the latest 24-hour cycle with a clear lead story from Ljubljana, where Italy answered back in the men’s Volleyball Nations League. Around that result, the day’s coverage also moved through federation decisions in Catania, significant market news in both the men’s and women’s game, and new official updates involving Italy’s youth programs and the Trofeo delle Regioni.
International
Italy defeated Brazil 3-1 in Pool 6 of the men’s Volleyball Nations League, winning 25-19, 25-23, 22-25, 25-23 at the Stožice Arena. The result lifted the team coached by Ferdinando De Giorgi to 13 points and four overall wins, keeping the Azzurri in the race for the Finals after the previous losses in Ljubljana.
De Giorgi started with Riccardo Sbertoli and Alessandro Bovolenta on the diagonal, Luca Porro and Mattia Bottolo as outside hitters, Giovanni Sanguinetti and Matteo Cortesia in the middle, and Fabio Laurenzano at libero. Volleyball.it reported that Italy built the first set with pressure from the serve and attack, resisted Brazil’s reaction in the third, and then came back from a six-point deficit in the fourth. Bovolenta finished as top scorer with 20 points, followed by Bottolo with 19.
Italian Volleyball
In Catania, the FIPAV Federal Council approved the 2025 financial statements, which closed with a profit of 1,787,976.24 euro. According to Volleyball.it, the federation said the surplus will be reinvested to support sporting activity and local programs. The meeting also confirmed the continuation of the Club Italia project in Serie A2 and authorized the activity programs and staffs for Club Italia Sud, Centro, Nord Est and Nord Ovest for the 2026-2027 season.
The same council meeting assigned the organization of the 2026 Trofeo delle Regioni di Beach Volley to the FIPAV Puglia Regional Committee, with the event scheduled in Margherita di Savoia from September 6 to 9, 2026. Volleyball.it also reported the approval of the practical guides for the School and Promotion, Sitting Volley and Smart Coach sectors, as well as the confirmation of Giuseppe De Mola as national head of match officials and Irene Ranelletti as technical coordinator of Volley S3.
Italian Transfer News
The domestic market remained one of the strongest themes of the day. Itas Trentino completed a middle-blocker addition by signing Serbian international Aleksandar Nedeljković (photo) on a one-year deal for the 2026-27 season. The 1997-born blocker arrives from Rana Verona and will play his fourth straight season in SuperLega after earlier time with Cisterna.
On the women’s side, Savino Del Bene Volley officially closed its roster for 2026-27 with the arrival of Serbian middle blocker Maja Aleksić. The report marked the move as a return to Italy after her season with Zeren Spor Kulübü in Turkey and noted that she will join the squad of Marco Gaspari for commitments in Serie A1, the Italian Cup, the Super Cup and European competition. In Serie A2, JoyVolley Gioia del Colle added Bulgarian middle blocker Boris Nachev, a 2004-born player who arrives after his first Italian top-flight season with Sonepar Padova.
Youth Volleyball
Italy’s men’s Under 22 national team also moved into focus. Volleyball.it published the 14-player squad selected by Vincenzo Fanizza for the Men’s Under 22 European Championship, to be played in Albufeira, Portugal, from June 29 to July 4. Italy is in Pool II with Bulgaria, the Czech Republic and France, and will open the tournament on June 29 at 12:00 against Bulgaria. Fanizza told Volleyball.it that the immediate goal is to reach the semifinals, while stressing the high level of the group and the importance of the international experience for a generation that includes players already active in Serie A.
At regional level, the AeQuilibrium Cup - Trofeo delle Regioni set its title matches in Sicily. In the men’s event, Lombardy will face Lazio in the final after straight-set semifinal wins over Campania and Marche respectively. In the women’s tournament, Lombardy will meet Veneto in a rematch of last year’s final, after Lombardy beat Sicily 2-0 and Veneto edged Piemonte 2-1. The finals are scheduled at PalaCatania, with Lombardy chasing a fourth straight men’s title and Veneto pursuing a fourth women’s crown in the event.
