Redazione Volleyball.it
Volleyball.it spent July 14 on a familiar midsummer mix of national-team buildup, transfer movement and international competition. The headline focus stayed on Italy's senior men as the Azzurri prepared to restart their Volleyball Nations League campaign in Osaka, while one of the most relevant women's stories concerned Brazil, which will go into the VNL Finals without captain Gabriela "Gabi" Guimaraes. Around those items, the Italian market remained active through updates involving Cisterna, Piacenza and Tonno Callipo Calabria Volley, and Italy's women's sitting volley team advanced another step at the world championship in Hangzhou.
International
Italy will open Pool 9 in Osaka against Japan on Wednesday July 15 at 12:20 Italian time, with the match scheduled at the Asue Arena. Volleyball.it noted that the venue holds about 10,000 spectators and that the week carries major weight in the race to the VNL Finals in Ningbo, set for July 30 to August 3. The article also stressed the size of the challenge: Japan arrives at the third week first in the overall standings and still unbeaten in this edition of the competition.
Captain Simone Giannelli presented the opener as both a difficult test and an important checkpoint in Italy's path. Volleyball.it reported his emphasis on Japan's all-around quality, not only in defense but also in counterattack, serving and sideout play. Italy's schedule in Osaka underlines the difficulty of the week, because after Japan the Azzurri will also face Belgium, Argentina and Cuba. The source article also listed the 14-man group for week three, including Giannelli, Riccardo Sbertoli, Daniele Lavia, Yuri Romanò, Alessandro Bovolenta and libero pair Gabriele Laurenzano and Fabio Balaso.
On the women's side, Volleyball.it highlighted a major Brazilian absence ahead of the Finals in Macao. Gabi has not recovered fully from injury and will continue her rehabilitation work instead of joining the Final Eight. The Brazilian federation explained that her recovery is progressing positively, but the medical and technical staff chose not to accelerate the process. According to the article, Brazil's priority is now to have its captain ready for the South American Championship in Rio de Janeiro from September 8 to 13, a tournament that will also award Olympic qualification.
Italian Transfer News
The domestic market produced two concrete July 14 moves. Cisterna completed the arrival of French outside hitter Duflos-Rossi, who joins on loan from Civitanova. It was a short item, but editorially relevant because it further clarified the shape of a SuperLega roster that is still being assembled during the Bologna market days.
Gas Sales Bluenergy Piacenza also moved on the wing by identifying Nikola Brboric as the player who will replace Lukas Bergmann, now at Prata di Pordenone. Volleyball.it described Brboric as a 2006-born Serbian outside hitter developed largely in Novi Sad and arriving from Vojvodina for his first experience abroad after a career built mainly in Serbia, with a spell at Pozarevac. The article added that he has already appeared with Serbia in the VNL and recently produced an 11-point performance against Brazil. The same report said Piacenza is also evaluating the possibility of bringing middle blocker Daniel Iyegbekedo back after his return to France.
Italian Clubs
One of the day's more distinctive stories came from Vibo Valentia, where Tonno Callipo Calabria Volley is preparing for an unusual season with both the men's and women's teams in Serie A3. President Pippo Callipo explained that the club chose to proceed after reviewing the overall implications, describing the women's promotion as a pursued objective and the men's as a pleasant surprise. Volleyball.it reported that many players from the promoted men's squad will remain, while both teams are being shaped for demanding southern schedules across Puglia, Campania and Sicilia.
The article also focused heavily on infrastructure and local relations. In its registration paperwork, the club indicated the Palasport di localita Maiata because the availability of the PalaValentia is guaranteed only until March 15, 2027. Callipo also referred to unresolved issues with the municipality and said that managing two arenas, together with their operating costs, would be unsustainable. Volleyball.it added that the club remains deeply invested in its development structure, with roughly 150 to 180 boys and girls involved in the youth sector last season.
Foreign Transfer News
Abroad, Halkbank confirmed Radostin Stoytchev as head coach for next season. Volleyball.it presented the decision as one of technical continuity, with the Ankara club keeping the Bulgarian coach in place as it builds the new roster. The club statement, as summarized in the article, linked the renewal directly to the work already started with the technical staff and players ahead of the next competitive targets.
News FIPAV
Italy's women's sitting volley team delivered the day's finished result by beating Slovenia 3-0 in the world championship round of 16 in Hangzhou. The Azzurre won 25-13, 25-22, 25-15 and sent three players into double figures: Cirelli with 14 points, Pedrelli with 13 and Ceccon with 11. Volleyball.it described the second set as the only one that stayed relatively close before Italy closed it out and then regained full control in the third.
The victory sends the team coached by Pasquale D'Aniello into the quarterfinals against the United States, first in the world ranking. That match is scheduled for July 15 at 10:00 Italian time. Within the broader July 14 coverage, it gave Volleyball.it a completed Italian result to match the many preview and market stories elsewhere on the page, and it kept a live world-level campaign moving into another high-value knockout match.
