Italian
In the first match of Pool 8 of the VNL, the Azzurre achieve their seventh victory of this edition. They defeated Ukraine 3-1 (25-15; 23-25; 25-10; 25-21)
HONG KONG (CHINA) – The champions are back and the road to the Finals in Macao is getting easier. Without taking anything away from the young players who literally carried the team in the previous weeks and are now doing well at the under 22 European Championship. But seeing Egonu, Danesi, Orro, and Sylla back on the court is something else.
In the first day of Pool 8 of the Volleyball Nations League, the ItalVolley shows up and wins 3-1 (25-15; 23-25; 25-10; 25-21) against Ukraine. A match that was not as simple as the score might suggest.
A dominant first set, a second literally let go, only to regain the grit and the right pace that has always characterized this National Team since Velasco became the coach, going on to win the fourth set in a comeback. It may have taken a bit of time to oil the old mechanisms again after almost a year since they last played together. But Italy is here.
Today the Azzurre will have a day without matches before competing for the pass to Macao for three consecutive days against Belgium (July 10 at 2:30 PM Italian time), Canada (July 11 at 10:30 AM Italian time), and finally the hosts China (July 12 at 2:00 PM Italian time).
The scorecard
ITALY – UKRAINE 3-1 (25-15; 23-25; 25-10; 25-21)
ITALY: Sylla 11, Danesi 9, Antropova 23, Nervini 8, Fahr 15, Orro 4, Fersino (L), Spirito, Cambi, Egonu 2, Giovannini, Omoruyi 2. N.E.: Meli and Nwakalor. Coach: Velasco
UKRAINE: Sharhorodska 6, Milenko 9, Dorsman 12, Artyshuk 11, Nudha 5, Meliushkyna 7, Lutsenko (L), Parfonova, Danchak 4, Fedyk, Kima, Dymar 4, Kotar 3. N.E.: Boiko. Coach: Gluszak
Referees: Jirasak Pumduang (THA) and Raquel Fernanda Maia Portela
Duration: 22’, 26’, 20’,
Italy: a 10, bs 2, m 13, e.t. 14.
Ukraine: a 4, bs 8, m 5, e.t. 34.
The statements
These are the words of the coach Julio Velasco: “It wasn’t easy this evening because Ukraine played a great match. In particular, they served well, putting us in serious difficulty. Furthermore, we couldn’t stop their fast play, which created many problems for us in defense. In general, they also put us in difficulty with their coverage, especially on the right side of the field, so it was a challenging match.
However, the girls showed they were on the ball when they made a comeback at the end of the fourth set, regardless of the performance. It must be said that this was the first match with the full team, with all the players returning, so some difficulties could be expected, which we still faced with the right attitude.
Furthermore, I emphasized before the match that we absolutely cannot underestimate anyone because right now everyone gives their all against us, motivated by the fact that they are facing the world champion and Olympic champion team, regardless of the ranking and seasonal goals.
Tomorrow we can work on some aspects that are still difficult for us. One of these is the fast attack, which we train little because we only have Denise Meli in the squad who attacks this specific ball, making it hard to be ready for a solution we use infrequently and against which we need to find a remedy, especially in matches. Finally, even in defense, the Ukrainians performed better than us during the tight moments of the match, while when we defended strongly, we won decisively, including at the end where we completed a great comeback, the result of an evident technical improvement that adds to the character of this team that never gives up and is always focused.
Calendar and Results Pool 8 – Hong Kong (China)
July 8
Belgium – Dominican Republic 3-2 (25-19; 25-20; 14-25; 24-26; 15-12)
Ukraine – Italy 3-1 (25-15; 23-25; 25-10; 25-21)
China – Canada at 14:30
July 9
Belgium – Canada at 11:00 AM
China – Ukraine at 2:30 PM
July 10
Ukraine – Dominican Republic at 11:00 AM
Belgium – Italy at 2:30 PM
July 11
Italy – Canada at 10:30 AM
China – Dominican Republic at 2:00 PM
July 12
Belgium – Ukraine at 5:00 AM
Canada – Dominican Republic at 10:30 AM
Italy – China at 2:00 PM
Complete match schedule and results VNL 2026 HERE
Overall standings HERE
Photo Credits: Ferdervolley.it
