Alan Nine
Volleyball.it spent July 23 moving between knockout volleyball and season planning. The main thread came from Macao, where the women’s Volleyball Nations League Finals completed the semifinal bracket and locked in a heavyweight clash between Italy and Brazil. The other half of the draw also took shape, with Turkey coming through against Canada and China eliminating the United States. Away from the Finals, the Italian club game added an institutional update with the official Serie A2 Credem Banca 2026-27 format, while the international picture widened with Zoran Terzic’s assessment of the next EuroVolley.
Women's VNL Finals
Italy now knows both its opponent and the exact schedule for the semifinal stage in Macao. Volleyball.it reported that Italy-Brazil will open the women’s VNL semifinals on Saturday, July 25 at 10:00 a.m. Italian time. The match carries extra weight because it could send the Azzurre to a fourth VNL final in the last five editions. The same source confirmed that the second semifinal will be Turkey-China at 1:30 p.m., closing a day in which the bracket became fully defined.
The last two quarterfinals gave that bracket its final shape. Turkey came from behind to beat Canada 3-1 with set scores of 22-25, 25-21, 25-21, 25-17. Volleyball.it identified Melissa Vargas as the decisive figure, with 27 points, including 4 aces, while Turkey also finished ahead in blocks and service pressure. The report highlighted a pivotal third set in which Canada had led 17-12 before Turkey recovered, then closed more steadily in the fourth. Turkey therefore returned to the VNL final four for the first time since 2023.
The bigger upset arrived later in the day, when China knocked out the top-seeded United States 3-2. After losing the opening set 15-25, China turned the match around with set scores of 25-23 and 25-20, then survived the American reaction before sealing the tie-break 15-13. Volleyball.it noted that the USA had led 6-3 and 10-8 in the fifth set, but China stayed in the match and flipped the ending with three straight blocks around the decisive phase. Jordan Thompson was the top scorer with 24 points for the Americans, while China spread the scoring across Yushan Zhuang, Gong Xiangyu, Tang Xin and Wang Yuanyuan.
Italian Leagues
On the domestic side, Lega Pallavolo Serie A defined the structure of the next Serie A2 Credem Banca season. Volleyball.it reported that the championship will feature 14 teams, with the regular season scheduled from October 18, 2026 to April 11, 2027. The top eight teams will reach the playoffs, while the bottom two will be relegated at the end of the regular season.
The article also clarified the post-season format. Quarterfinals, semifinals and final will all be played as best-of-three series, with the promotion place for SuperLega 2027-28 decided in that bracket. The playoff dates are already fixed: quarterfinals on April 14, 18 and 21, semifinals on April 25, May 2 and May 5, and the final on May 9, 12 and 16. Coppa Italia A2 will again be tied to the halfway point of the regular season, with the top eight teams entering a straight knockout competition played in single matches.
The main novelty at the start of the calendar is the new Del Monte Supercoppa Serie A2. Volleyball.it stated that the opening event on October 11, 2026 will pit Abba Pineto against Consoli Sferc Brescia. Pineto qualified as the regular-season winner and Coppa Italia winner from 2025-26, while Brescia entered as the next eligible side in the previous standings.
International Outlook
Volleyball.it also carried a wider European angle through Zoran Terzic, who is preparing to coach Serbia at the women’s EuroVolley 2026 for the 11th time, matching Nikolay Karpol’s record for appearances at the tournament. In the interview cited by the site, Terzic described reaching the semifinals as an obligation for Serbia and said that once there, the objective becomes a medal.
His view of the continental hierarchy was clear. According to Volleyball.it’s report, Terzic named Italy and Turkey as the two main favorites for EuroVolley, with Serbia, Poland, the Netherlands and Germany forming the rest of the main contenders for the semifinal places. It was a notable judgment on a day already shaped by the VNL bracket, because the same two teams he placed at the top of Europe both advanced into the VNL semifinals in Macao.
