Alan Nine
Volleyball.it on July 10 moved across senior national-team results, youth-European competition, the domestic market and federation activity. The headline result came in Hong Kong, where Italy secured another straight-sets win in the Volleyball Nations League and locked in its place at the Finals in Macao. The day also brought a strong start for Italy's women's sitting-volley side at the World Championship, another positive step for the men's Under-18 team, semifinal confirmation for the women's Under-18 group, a notable SuperLega market move for Verona, and two broader institutional updates for the Italian game.
International
The main result of the day came from Pool 8 of the VNL, where Julio Velasco's Italy beat Belgium 3-0 in Hong Kong with set scores of 25-20, 25-16, 25-19. According to Volleyball.it, the success pushed the Azzurre to eight wins in the competition and, combined with the wider table situation, secured qualification for the Finals in Macao. Italy broke the first set open from 9-9 with a decisive service run by Ekaterina Antropova, then controlled the second and third sets with a more stable block-defense phase and effective contributions from the bench.
The report underlined Italy's balance across the lineup, with Alessia Orro directing the attack, Antropova driving the right side, and Anna Danesi and Sarah Fahr helping the middle establish control. Paola Egonu, Loveth Omoruyi and Giovannini also featured during the match. Italy will be back on court on Saturday, July 11 against Canada, coached by Giovanni Guidetti.
News FIPAV
Another clean Italian result arrived in Hangzhou, where the women's national sitting-volley team opened the World Championship with a 3-0 win over France. The team coached by Pasquale D'Aniello took the match 25-12, 25-9, 25-6 at the World ParaVolley Development Centre. Volleyball.it described the opening set as immediately one-sided, with Italy using service pressure and sharp offensive execution to build separation, then widening the gap even more in the second and third sets.
The article also framed the result within the tournament structure. Italy is in Pool D with Brazil, France and Thailand, and every team will continue into the knockout phase after the group stage. Italy's next two scheduled matches are against Brazil in the night between July 10 and 11, and against Thailand on July 12. Off the court, FIPAV also announced a new agreement with PGS, signed to strengthen volleyball's local presence and educational role. Volleyball.it reported that federation president Giuseppe Manfredi and PGS president Ciro Bisogno presented the convention as a way to connect technical development with broader youth participation and community work.
International Under
Italy's youth teams kept the day busy. In Porto San Giorgio, the men's Under-18 side made it three wins from three at the European Championship by beating Greece 3-0 with set scores of 25-15, 25-17, 25-18. Volleyball.it reported that the group coached by Michele Fanizza reached eight points in Pool I, level with Poland, and will resume after the rest day with a direct meeting against Poland on July 11. The article described the Italian performance as controlled from the opening exchanges, with Greece never able to reverse the match's momentum.
On the women's side, Italy's Under-18 team moved from group play into the semifinal stage. Volleyball.it confirmed that the team led by Stefano Gregoris closed Pool I in second place with 19 points, after six wins in seven matches, and will face France in the semifinal on Saturday, July 11 in Riga. France topped Pool II on set quotient ahead of Hungary, while the other semifinal will pair Turkey and Hungary.
Italian Transfer News
The main domestic market item centered on Rana Verona, which officially confirmed the arrival of Austrian opposite Paul Buchegger for the 2026-27 SuperLega season. Volleyball.it noted that the 1996-born attacker arrives after two seasons with Valsa Group Modena and is expected to replace Darlan. The report also reviewed Buchegger's path through clubs including Monza, Ravenna, Vibo Valentia, Ortona and Catania, plus experiences in Turkey, Germany and Austria. Volleyball.it added that Verona could soon complete another move from Modena with middle blocker Simone Anzani, while the club prepares for a season that will also include the Champions League.
Italian Leagues
Volleyball.it also detailed the agenda for Volley Mercato 2026, scheduled in Bologna from July 14 to 16. The three-day program will gather the clubs of Serie A, lead into the presentation of the 2026-27 calendars and include the election of the new Lega president, identified in the report as senator Claudio Durigon. The schedule includes separate consultations for Serie A3, Serie A2 and SuperLega, work sessions on communication, fan engagement and safeguarding, publication of the full rosters for the new season, and the formal presentation of the league's governance and calendar package on Thursday, July 16.
