Italy women’s volleyball team wins Nations League
There are no more words left for Julio Velasco’s girls—an invincible team that has now achieved 29 consecutive victories and clinched the Nations League title at the expense of Brazil, defeated 3-1.
Women’s volleyball is increasingly tinged with blue, as Velasco’s Italy is already among the greatest teams in the sport’s history. Now, they aim to confirm their dominance at the upcoming World Championship in Thailand, where they will arrive as the top favorites, CE Report quotes ANSA.
After sweeping both the United States in the quarterfinals and Poland in the semifinals with 3-0 wins, Italy prevailed over the Seleção thanks to 17 points from a phenomenal Ekaterina Antropova, who came on during the match in place of Paola Egonu (12 points), and 16 points from Myriam Sylla. Also crucial were the contributions off the bench from young talent Nervini and the team’s 14 blocks—4 each from Antropova and Danesi.
In an otherwise historic night, the only downside was the injury to Alice Degradi, with hopes that medical tests will rule out serious damage. She landed awkwardly after returning a ball to the opposing court and had to be carried off the field—especially painful given that she missed the Olympics last year due to injury.
“This was the final against Brazil, a very tough opponent,” said Velasco after the match. “We won because we fought until the end, and I want to highlight the crucial contributions from the players who came off the bench.”
“The only negative was Degradi’s injury—I hope it’s nothing too serious. What does it take to build a team like ours? You need players who are not only technically strong,” Velasco added, “but also mentally resilient, who are willing to give their all every single day. That’s what makes this group so special.”
“Now we have a week to rest,” concluded the head coach, “then we’ll start preparing for the World Championship. It will be tough, because everyone wants to beat us—but we’ll train hard, because we want to repeat what we achieved at the Olympics.”
