Alan Nine
Volleyball.it on July 4 moved across national-team preparation, transfer business, federation promotion, women's club planning and beach volleyball. The main new themes were Italy men's friendly schedule ahead of the next Volleyball Nations League stage, fresh movement around Cucine Lube Civitanova and Verona in the market, a symbolic FIPAV event in Naples, and another international stop for Valentina Gottardi and Reka Orsi Toth.
International
Italy men's national team will return to the court in Italy on Sunday, July 5 at 18:00 for an official friendly against Argentina at the BTS Arena in Trento. Volleyball.it reported that the match will be shown live on RaiSport and Sky Sport Max as Ferdinando De Giorgi's squad continues its work in Cavalese ahead of the third week of the Volleyball Nations League.
The article also noted that Italy and Argentina will meet again in Trento eleven years after their previous match in the city, played on August 27, 2015 during the Melinda Cup. On July 4 the Azzurri were also scheduled for an open-door joint training session with Argentina at the Arpad Weisz Sports Hall in Cavalese. Pardo Mati, fresh from the Under 22 European Championship in Portugal, was due to rejoin the senior group, while middle blocker Andrea Trucchio was set to leave the retreat on Sunday morning.
Italian Transfer News
The biggest cluster of news concerned the market. Cucine Lube Civitanova officially extended outside hitter Eric Loeppky through 2028, adding two more years to a previous deal that had run to 2026. Volleyball.it recalled that the Canadian international has spent two seasons with Lube, helping the club win the Del Monte Coppa Italia 2025, reach the Challenge Cup 2025 final and qualify in consecutive years for both the CEV Champions League and the Del Monte Supercoppa. In the latest season, across regular season and playoffs, Loeppky totaled 363 points, including 291 in attack, 40 aces and 32 blocks.
Volleyball.it also published a separate market report involving Lube, writing that the club is evaluating Canadian middle blocker Jackson Howe, born in 1998 and coming off a season with Germany's SVG Luneburg. The article described Howe as the best blocker in the current men's VNL after the first two weeks with 33 stuffs, ten more than second-placed Bedirhan Bulbul of Turkey. The same report stressed that Lube already has four middle blockers on its roster for next season, namely Giovanni Gargiulo, Davi Tenorio, Alberto Polo and Antonin Klimes, so any move would likely imply a further outgoing transfer or an evolving squad plan.
Another official July 4 move came from Verona, which confirmed the signing of French setter Kellian Motta Paes for the next SuperLega season. Volleyball.it wrote that the 2002-born playmaker will experience Italian volleyball for the first time after earlier stops with the Centre National du Volley-ball, Paris Volley, PSG Stal Nysa, Epinal Golbey Volley-Ball and, last season, Cannes. In Verona's depth chart he will complete the setting unit alongside Micah Christenson.
Further domestic movement also involved Tinet Prata, which added libero Alessandro Toscani for its first SuperLega season. According to Volleyball.it, the 28-year-old from Ortona arrives after two top-flight seasons with Pallavolo Padova, following previous experiences with Castellana Grotte, Bergamo and Sir Safety Perugia.
Federation And Clubs
On the federation side, FIPAV announced that Piazza del Plebiscito in Naples will host a light installation on July 7 for World Volleyball Day. Volleyball.it wrote that the illuminated display will feature messages dedicated to volleyball's values, including passion, inclusion, team spirit and participation. The initiative also serves as a countdown marker for EuroVolley Men 2026, whose opening match will be staged in the same square, transformed into an open-air arena.
In women's club news, Megabox Ondulati del Savio Vallefoglia became the first team officially announced for the fifth Trofeo McDonald's, scheduled for September 26 and 27 at the Pala Ruggi in Imola. Volleyball.it noted that Vallefoglia is coming off a season closed with sixth place in the regular season and victory in the CEV Challenge Cup at Athens against Panathinaikos. The article reviewed the roster shape as well, with confirmations for Sonia Candi, Erblira Bici, Gaia Giovannini, Loveth Omoruyi and Chiara De Bortoli, plus new arrivals Jenna Gray, Ulrike Bridi, Ekaterina Kochurina, Lucia Varela Gomez, Alessia Bolzonetti, Tai Bierria, Sophie Blasi and Lara Davidovic.
Beach Volley
At the fifth Elite16 stop of the season in Gstaad, Gottardi and Orsi Toth closed their run in ninth place. Volleyball.it reported that the Italians had finished Pool D with three wins from three matches to move directly into the round of 16, where they were eliminated by Americans Donlin-Denaburg.
The United States pair won 2-1 with set scores of 21-18, 20-22, 15-11 in a match lasting 50 minutes. For the team overseen by technical director Caterina De Marinis, Volleyball.it described it as a second consecutive ninth-place finish in an Elite16 event after the earlier stop in Ostrava. Their next appointment will be the CEV Nations Cup Finals in Budapest from July 16 to 19.
