Alan Nine
Italy will face Bulgaria in the round of 16 at the Women’s EuroVolley after completing the pool stage with five victories from five matches.
Elsewhere, Canada claimed their first NORCECA women’s title under Giovanni Guidetti, Italy’s men completed a remarkable comeback against Germany and the women’s national team reached the Mediterranean Games semi-finals without dropping a set.
Women’s EuroVolley
Italy will face Bulgaria at the Brno Exhibition Centre on Monday, August 31 at 16:00.
Julio Velasco’s team qualified for the knockout stage as winners of Pool D, having won all five of their matches, while Bulgaria finished fourth in Pool B.
The match will open Monday’s programme in Brno and will be followed by the Czech Republic’s meeting with Sweden at 19:00.
The first two round-of-16 matches at the same venue will take place on Sunday, with France facing Greece and Serbia meeting Croatia.
International
Canada made history in Santo Domingo by defeating the United States 3-2 to win the NORCECA Women’s Championship for the first time.
Giovanni Guidetti’s team won 25-23, 25-23, 20-25, 18-25 and 15-10, completing the tournament with five victories from five matches.
Canada surrendered a two-set advantage but regained control after the teams changed ends at 9-9 in the tie-break, winning six of the final seven points.
Anna Smrek led the champions with 20 points, including five blocks, while Kacey Jost was named the tournament’s most valuable player.
The triumph earned Canada their 14th medal in the competition, following two silver medals and 11 bronzes.
Italy’s men were also involved in a dramatic five-set match, completing a comeback to defeat Germany 3-2 at the PalaCalafiore in Reggio Calabria.
Ferdinando De Giorgi’s team recovered after losing an extraordinary opening set 66-64 in one hour and 29 minutes. The Azzurri eventually prevailed 64-66, 25-22, 23-25, 25-22 and 15-12 in front of more than 4,400 spectators.
Luca Porro was Italy’s leading scorer with 20 points, while Mattia Bottolo served two consecutive aces to give the Azzurri a 7-5 lead in the tie-break.
Italy will now move to Messina for the remainder of the FIPAV Cup Men Elite, facing Cuba on Friday, August 28 and Brazil on Sunday, August 30.
At the Mediterranean Games in Taranto, Italy’s women secured first place in Pool A with a 3-0 victory over Serbia.
Carlo Parisi’s team won 25-18, 25-21 and 25-17, completing the group stage with three victories without dropping a set.
Alice Bolzonetti led the scoring with 15 points, while Josephine Obossa contributed 14 and Sara Akrari added 12.
Italy will face the winners of Turkey’s match against Greece in Saturday’s semi-final.
Italian Leagues
Prosecco DOC A. Carraro Imoco Conegliano officially presented Zhu Ting and Yao Di ahead of the 2026/27 Serie A1 season.
Zhu, who said she now considers Conegliano her second home, is preparing for her third season with the Italian champions.
Fellow Chinese international Yao has joined the club and described the opportunity to train alongside Joanna Wołosz as an important step in her development.
Giovanni Gargiulo, meanwhile, has spoken openly about the emotional difficulties he experienced in recent months and the support he received after asking to leave the Italian national team before the second week of the Volleyball Nations League.
The Cucine Lube Civitanova middle blocker thanked the staff of both his club and the national team, said his condition was improving and encouraged anyone experiencing similar difficulties to seek professional support.
Pallavolo Padova began their preseason preparations at the Kioene Arena with eight players available, while the remaining members of the squad complete their international commitments.
Head coach Jacopo Cuttini described his squad as young and well balanced, with several 19-year-olds included in the first-team group.
Padova will play their first preseason match against Belluno Volley on September 16, ahead of their opening SuperLega fixture on October 18.
Beach Volleyball
The second Italian Beach Pro Tour Futures event of 2026 has begun in Modena and will continue until Sunday, August 30.
The qualifying tournament features 16 men’s and 16 women’s pairs competing for four available places in each main draw. Both main draws will feature 16 teams.
Valentina Gottardi and Reka Orsi Toth are the top seeds in the women’s competition, while Enrico Rossi and Marco Caminati head the men’s draw.
Sunday’s finals will be streamed live on the YouTube channels of the Italian Volleyball Federation and Volleyball World.
