Attention at the Women’s EuroVolley has now turned to Istanbul, where Italy will face Poland and hosts Turkey will meet Serbia in Saturday’s semi-finals.
Away from the international stage, Italian clubs continued their preseason preparations, with Vallefoglia winning their opening training match and Piacenza completing another week of work.
Women’s EuroVolley
Julio Velasco has called on Italy to read the game more clearly when they face a Poland team that have improved considerably since the Volleyball Nations League.
The Italian coach described the 3-1 quarter-final victory over Sweden as an important test of character. He nevertheless stressed that there is a difference between coping with a difficult spell and allowing the opposition to take control of the match.
Rather than simply asking his players to remain patient, Velasco wants them to recognise how situations are developing and choose the appropriate response.
He also rejected comparisons based solely on the individual quality of the two squads, insisting that Italy’s strength must come from their collective play.
Poland have reached the European Championship semi-finals for the first time since 2019.
Head coach Stefano Lavarini said the achievement was particularly significant after his team had repeatedly been eliminated in the quarter-finals of major competitions.
He expects Italy to play with confidence and aggression after finding greater balance within their revised system.
Lavarini has previously coached several Italian players at club level, including Anna Danesi, but does not believe that familiarity will provide a decisive advantage.
He considers Italy a formidable opponent regardless of the line-up or system they use, including the formation in which Ekaterina Antropova plays as an outside hitter.
That tactical change has given libero Eleonora Fersino greater responsibility in reception.
Across Italy’s opening seven matches, Fersino received 103 of the team’s 400 serves. Her positive-reception rate was approximately 64%, compared with the team’s overall figure of 50%. She also recorded 45% perfect reception, while Italy’s average was 28%.
Fersino produced even stronger figures in the quarter-final against Sweden, finishing with 26 receptions, 85% positive and 54% perfect.
Italy ended the match with 53% positive reception and 29% perfect reception as a team.
Fersino explained that Antropova’s new role requires her to cover a larger area of the court in reception and take on more defensive responsibility in position six.
In the other semi-final, Turkey coach Daniele Santarelli said previous results, including his team’s VNL title, would have no bearing on their match against Serbia.
The defending European champions will have home advantage, but Santarelli warned that lapses which might have gone unpunished earlier in the competition could prove decisive in a semi-final.
He expects motivation and mental strength to play an important role against a Serbian team that combines experienced players with emerging talent.
Italian Women’s Clubs
Megabox Ondulati del Savio Vallefoglia won all five sets of their opening preseason match against German side TV Planegg Kreilling.
Andrea Pistola’s team won 25-19, 25-15, 25-20, 25-17 and 15-7, despite the absences of Giovannini, Bolzonetti and Varela Gómez because of their international commitments.
Kochurina led Vallefoglia with 18 points, followed by Bierria with 17 and Bici with 16.
Pistola gave court time to every available player and praised the attitude shown by his team, while acknowledging that their technical understanding and organisation still require further development.
SuperLega
Gas Sales Bluenergy Volley Piacenza completed their second week of preseason with six sessions combining gym work and on-court training at the PalabancaSport.
The programme remained focused on improving the players’ fitness and gradually introducing more game-related situations, with several members of the squad still away on international duty.
Setter Paolo Porro praised the strong team spirit within the group and welcomed the contribution of players from Piacenza’s youth system.
The club will continue working on the squad’s physical conditioning and technical development while awaiting the return of their international players.
