Alan Nine
Volleyball.it on July 11 followed a day driven by national-team drama, youth European progress and domestic roster-building. The headline came in Hong Kong, where Italy recovered from two sets down to beat Canada in the Volleyball Nations League. The same day also sent two Italian youth teams into continental finals, delivered a new market move for Allianz Milano, clarified part of the 2026-27 women’s league map and brought a difficult second match for Italy’s women’s sitting-volley team at the World Championship.
International
Italy’s senior women produced the biggest result of the day by beating Canada 3-2 in Hong Kong after trailing 2-0. Volleyball.it reported set scores of 22-25, 27-29, 25-23, 25-23, 15-5, a comeback that lifted the Azzurre to nine wins in 11 VNL matches and moved them level on victories with the United States and Brazil. The decisive swing came late in the fourth set, when Italy’s block turned a dangerous Canadian lead into a route back to the tie-break.
The standout performer was Ekaterina Antropova, who finished with 37 points, including 5 aces, 29 attack points and 3 blocks. Sarah Fahr added 14 points, while Anna Danesi contributed strongly at the net. Volleyball.it listed Alessia Orro, Antropova, Miriam Sylla, Nervini, Danesi, Fahr and Eleonora Fersino in the starting lineup used by coach Julio Velasco, with Paola Egonu coming on during the match. For Canada, Kiera Van Ryk led the scoring with 27 points.
International Under
Italy also moved into two women’s youth European finals. At the Under-18 European Championship in Riga, the team coached by Stefano Gregoris beat France 3-0 in the semifinal with scores of 25-21, 25-22, 25-8. Volleyball.it highlighted Italy’s superiority at the net, where the Azzurrine finished with 12 winning blocks against France’s four. Anita Tessariol and Lisa Monari Gamba both scored 11 points, and Italy earned a new final against Turkey, scheduled for Sunday, July 12 at 17:00 Italian time.
A few hours earlier, Italy’s Under-22 women had also booked a place in the gold-medal match. The side led by Nino Gagliardi swept Spain 3-0 in The Hague with emphatic set scores of 25-11, 25-15, 25-15. Volleyball.it credited a fast start and another controlled performance after group-stage wins over Poland, Serbia and Portugal. Merit Adigwe and Beatrice Amoruso each scored 16 points, while Nicole Piomboni added 12 and Linda Manfredini contributed 10. Italy will return to court for the final on Sunday, July 12 at 18:30.
Italian Transfer News
On the domestic market front, Allianz Milano completed another addition in the middle by signing Davi Tenorio from Cucine Lube Civitanova. Volleyball.it described the 213-centimeter player, born in San Paolo in 2005 and holding Spanish nationality, as one of the most interesting young prospects on the international scene. He joins coach Guillermo Falasca’s side after two developmental seasons with Lube.
The report also stressed the pairing Tenorio will now form with Robertlandy Simon, combining one of the most established middle blockers in world volleyball with a young player the club sees as part of its long-term project. Volleyball.it noted that Tenorio grew up in Andorra, developed through the Spanish federal system and had already collected domestic honors with Grupo Herce Soria before moving to Italy.
Italian Leagues
The women’s club calendar for next season took a further institutional step forward. Volleyball.it reported that the board of the Lega Pallavolo Serie A Femminile examined the registration files for LVF Serie A1 Fineco and LVF Serie A2 Fineco and passed the admitted-club lists on to the FIPAV Federal Council for final ratification. All 14 clubs that applied for Serie A1 were admitted.
For Serie A2, Volleyball.it listed 17 admitted clubs, to be joined by Club Italia. The article added that Volley Fratte was admitted with a reservation tied to banking obligations, while the rest of the documentation had already received a favorable review from the league’s admissions commission. It was one of the clearest administrative markers so far ahead of the 2026-27 season.
News FIPAV
There was less positive news for Italy’s women’s sitting-volley team at the World Championship in Hangzhou. After the opening win over France, the Azzurre lost 3-0 to defending world champion Brazil in Pool D, with set scores of 25-19, 25-17, 25-18. Volleyball.it identified Ceccatelli as Italy’s top scorer with 11 points, while Brazil controlled the match through sharper rhythm and stronger blocking numbers.
The article also noted an external issue affecting the tournament schedule: activity in Hangzhou was temporarily suspended because of typhoon Bavi, with delegations asked to remain in their hotels while awaiting further instructions. Italy’s next match is scheduled against Thailand on Sunday, July 12 at 12:00 Italian time, the final pool-stage step before the knockout rounds.
