Alan Nine
Italy made a winning start to Women’s EuroVolley 2026, defeating Croatia in straight sets, while the men’s Under-17 team recorded their second victory at the World Championship in Doha.
Friday’s other main stories included Ferdinando De Giorgi’s latest squad selection ahead of the Men’s European Championship, the return to training of several Italian clubs and updates from the continental championships taking place outside Europe.
Women’s EuroVolley
Italy opened their CEV Trendyol Women’s EuroVolley 2026 campaign with a 3-0 victory over Croatia at the Scandinavium in Gothenburg.
Julio Velasco’s team won 25-9, 25-22 and 25-23, dominating the opening set through strong serving and an effective block-defence system.
Ekaterina Antropova led the scoring with 22 points, while Paola Egonu added 14. Anna Danesi and Sarah Fahr played key roles in Italy’s commanding start, before Carlotta Cambi sealed the victory with an ace at the end of the third set.
Croatia offered much greater resistance in the second and third sets. After trailing early in the second, they turned a 7-10 deficit into a 13-10 lead. Italy responded through Eleonora Fersino’s defensive work, improved finishing from Egonu and several decisive attacks from Antropova.
The Azzurre eventually regained control and completed their opening match without dropping a set. They will return to the court on Saturday, August 22 at 15:00 to face Montenegro in Pool D.
Hosts Sweden also enjoyed a successful start, beating Montenegro 3-0 in front of 5,261 spectators — a record attendance for a women’s volleyball match in the country.
Sweden won 25-13, 25-18 and 25-23, with sisters Anna and Isabelle Haak helping the home side take control after a competitive start.
Elsewhere on the opening day, Serbia defeated Austria 3-0 in Brno. Tijana Bošković, Maja Ognjenović and Hena Kurtagić were among the leading performers as Serbia won 25-17, 25-9 and 25-21.
Youth International
Italy’s men’s Under-17 team recorded their second victory in as many matches at the World Championship in Doha, defeating India 3-1.
Francesco Conci’s side won 25-20, 18-25, 25-19 and 25-18, with three Italian players reaching double figures.
Samuele Filippi led the scoring with 17 points, followed by Federico Guiotto with 14 and Michele Mangini with 13. Italy also finished the match with a 55% attacking efficiency.
After dropping the second set, the Azzurrini regained control in the third. Filippi secured the set with a cross-court attack before Italy established another comfortable lead in the fourth.
Italy will complete their Pool B campaign against Cuba on Sunday, August 23 at 13:00 Italian time.
Italy’s Men
Ferdinando De Giorgi has reduced his Italian squad to 14 players ahead of the FIPAV Cup Men Elite, the next stage of the team’s preparations for the European Championship.
Compared with the group that trained in Verona, middle blockers Lorenzo Cortesia and Roberto Russo, along with opposite Alessandro Bovolenta, have not been included.
The Azzurri will regroup in Reggio Calabria on Sunday, August 23 before travelling to Messina for the second part of the tournament.
Italy will face Germany in Reggio Calabria on August 26 at 21:00, followed by matches against Cuba on August 28 and Brazil on August 30 in Messina.
All three Italian matches will be broadcast live on Rai Sport and Sky Sport.
Italian Clubs
Modena Volley have begun preparations for the 2026/27 season at the PalaPanini.
The opening group, working under assistant coach Roberto Ciamarra, included setter Leonardo Barbanti; outside hitters Thomas Jaeschke and Nicolò Garello; middle blockers Gabriele Di Martino and Luca Tauletta; and libero Federico Menchetti. Several players from Modena’s Serie B squad also took part.
Tommaso Rinaldi will complete the first ten days of preseason before leaving for Japan, while Luca Porro visited the group ahead of his return following EuroVolley.
Tinet Prata di Pordenone have also welcomed Russian opposite Kirill Klets to their preseason training camp.
Around the World
Japanese club Osaka Marvelous have officially signed Germany’s Hanna Orthmann and Brazil’s Glayce Vasconcelos for the 2026/27 season.
The women’s continental championships also began outside Europe. Japan defeated Hong Kong 3-0 in Tianjin, while the United States opened their campaign in Santo Domingo with a straight-sets victory over Trinidad and Tobago.
