Alan Nine
July 15 brought a full slate of major volleyball stories, led by Italy's opening match in the third men’s Volleyball Nations League week in Osaka. The Azzurri pushed host nation Japan to five sets but opened the pool with a defeat, while the European club season also moved into focus through the official Champions League draws for both men and women. Later in the day, Italy’s Under 18 men secured a semifinal place at the European Championship, and Volley Millenium Brescia received serious injury news involving Giorgia Amoruso.
International
Italy began its Osaka campaign with a 3-2 loss to Japan, falling 24-26, 25-19, 25-20, 23-25, 15-12 in a match that lasted 2 hours and 10 minutes. According to Volleyball.it, the Italians could not turn a clear blocking advantage into victory: the Azzurri finished with 13 block points against Japan’s 3, but the difference came in service pressure and overall error management.
Japan closed with 6 aces to Italy’s 2, while the Azzurri committed 24 service errors. The article also noted that Italy handed over 31 total points to the home side. Ran Takahashi led Japan with 26 points, supported by Yuji Nishida with 20 and captain Yuki Ishikawa with 17. For Italy, the top scorer was Alessandro Bovolenta with 14 points. The next Pool 9 match for the team coached by Ferdinando De Giorgi is set for July 16 at 8:30 Italian time against Belgium.
Champions League
The official draws for the 2026-27 CEV Champions League also shaped the coming club season for the Italian sides. In the men’s tournament, Sir Sicoma Monini Perugia was placed in Pool B with Ziraat Bankkart Ankara, Montpellier HSC VB and Dinamo Bucuresti. Lube Civitanova and Trentino Itas ended up together in Pool D, alongside PGE Projekt Warszawa and Greenyard Maaseik, creating an immediate all-Italian derby in the group stage. Rana Verona was drawn into Pool E with Bogdanka LUK Lublin, Tours VB and the winner of qualification pairing 17/18.
The women’s draw was equally notable. Conegliano and Novara were both assigned to Pool B together with KS Developres Rzeszow and Dresdner SC. Numia Vero Volley Milano landed in Pool C with Fenerbahce Medicana Istanbul, Levallois Paris Saint Cloud and Vasas Obuda Budapest. Savino Del Bene Scandicci will play in Pool D against Eczacibasi, Tent Obrenovac and the winner of qualification pairing 11/12. For Italian clubs, the July 15 draw made clear that the next European campaign will begin with high-level opposition on both the men’s and women’s sides.
International Under
Italy’s Under 18 men completed the day with a significant result in Porto San Giorgio, defeating Turkey 3-1 in the last Pool I match of the European Championship. The final score was 26-24, 25-17, 14-25, 25-21, and the win sent the team coached by Vincenzo Fanizza into the semifinals.
Volleyball.it reported that the success also secured qualification for the 2027 Under 19 World Championship. Diego Bussolari scored 12 points, while Mangini and Nicola Massari both added 11. The first set proved decisive: Italy faced two set points at 22-24 before recovering through a service turn by Mangini and taking the set 26-24. After Turkey dominated the third set, the Azzurrini restored control in the fourth and finished the match with three straight points. Italy will return to the court at the PalaSavelli on Friday, July 17 at 19:30 for the semifinal.
Italian News
The most serious domestic update concerned Giorgia Amoruso and Volley Millenium Brescia. The 2006-born outside hitter suffered a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament and a meniscus root injury. Volleyball.it reported that the injury occurred during the Under 22 European Championship final.
Medical examinations confirmed the extent of the knee problem, and surgery will be necessary. The date of the operation has not yet been set. For Brescia, the news arrives as a significant setback involving one of the club’s young players ahead of the new season.
