Daily Volleyball News - September 23: Slovenia reach fourth straight EuroVolley semi-final

Men’s EuroVolley: Slovenia power into fourth straight semi-final

TURIN – Slovenia secured a fourth consecutive Men’s EuroVolley semi-final appearance with a 3-1 victory over Belgium (25-22, 25-22, 20-25, 25-13) at the PalaVela. After taking the opening two sets, Fabio Soli’s side weathered a Belgian revival in the third before dominating the fourth to seal a last-four meeting with Poland in Milan.

Rok Možič led Slovenia with 18 points, supported by Nik Mujanović with 14 and Klemen Čebulj with 12. Jan Kozamernik contributed 11 points, including five blocks, as Slovenia outblocked their opponents 12-7.

Belgium’s Ferre Reggers finished as the match’s leading scorer with 23 points, while Basil Dermaux added 12. Their third-set response briefly changed the momentum, but they were unable to sustain it as Slovenia regained control.

The victory follows semi-final appearances in 2019, 2021 and 2023. Soli stressed that another place in the last four should not be taken for granted and said his team must aim to improve on their previous performance against Poland.

Italy face in-form Finland with semi-final place at stake

Italy, meanwhile, take on Finland in Turin after easing past Denmark in straight sets in the previous round.

Ferdinando De Giorgi’s side enter the quarter-final with Yuri Romanò on 92 tournament points and Pardo Mati on 20 blocks, while captain Simone Giannelli tops the competition’s setting-efficiency rankings.

Finland bring an impressive record of their own, having won 15 of their 16 competitive matches in 2026 across the European League and EuroVolley. Luka Marttila has amassed 114 points and 16 aces, while Joonas Jokela has contributed 105 points.

History favours Italy, who have won all 13 previous European Championship meetings between the sides. Finland, however, are enjoying their best run in the competition since 2013 and arrive with the form to make this a demanding test for the hosts.

SuperLega: Panini signs exclusive multi-year deal with Italian men’s league

Panini and the Lega Pallavolo Serie A have announced an exclusive multi-year partnership covering SuperLega, Serie A2 and Serie A3, paving the way for a new range of physical collectibles and digital editions.

The official collection will be unveiled at a later date. The project aims to introduce younger supporters to collecting while reconnecting long-standing fans with the tradition of Panini albums.

League chairman Massimo Righi said the wider programme would also feature initiatives to strengthen ties with existing supporters and attract new audiences to men’s club volleyball.

Courmayeur Cup: Schools and supporters join the action ahead of weekend tournament

COURMAYEUR – The Courmayeur Cup will open with a schools programme on Friday 25 September, ahead of a weekend featuring four of the leading teams in Italian women’s volleyball.

Four local high-school teams will compete in a tournament starting at 10:00, followed by an educational session with Igor Gorgonzola Novara players Benedetta Bartolini and Carlotta Cambi.

Supporters will also have the opportunity to meet players from Novara, Milano, Conegliano and Scandicci after the teams’ training sessions.

The senior tournament gets under way on Saturday 26 September, with Conegliano facing Novara at 15:30 and Scandicci taking on Milano at 18:15. Sunday’s programme features the third-place play-off at 15:30, followed by the final at 18:00.

Sitting volleyball: Parma to host Super Cup final rematches

PARMA – The Italian Sitting Volleyball Super Cups will bring two familiar match-ups to the Palestra per Tutti on Sunday 25 October, with both fixtures repeating last season’s finals.

Nola Città dei Gigli face Scuola di Pallavolo Fermana in the men’s decider at 09:30, before Giocoparma take on Dream Volley Pisa for the women’s trophy at 11:30.

Nola won last season’s final in straight sets to claim a fourth successive Super Cup, while Giocoparma also defeated Pisa 3-0.

Both matches will be streamed live on the Italian Volleyball Federation’s YouTube channel.