VNL, all easy for Italvolley with Bulgaria

Italy – Bulgaria 3-0 (25-11, 25-22, 25-19)

It was all easy for women's Italvolley in the third day of the Volleyball Nations League. After the victory against Germany, Julio Velasco’s women’s national team scored its second win in a row in the VNL, smashing Bulgaria 3-0 (25-11, 25-22, 25-19) after just over an hour of play.

Thanks to this victory, the Azzure gained 2.2 points in the world ranking. On Saturday Antropova and her teammates will close the first week of the VNL, facing the European champions Turkey (7 p.m. Italian time, ed.), in what on paper è the toughest engagement of the Antalya pool.

Coach Velasco gave space to Yasmina Akrari, the very young setter Stella Nervini and Ilaria Spirito in the role of libero. In the first set, Bonifacio in the wall and Antropova in the attack (7-3) were immediately the protagonists among the Azzurre. The Italian offense scored repeatedly, Bosetti and Nervini also did well (13-3), while the Bulgarian wall never managed to make an impact (17-7). Velasco’s girls kept pushing and the partial ended with a peremptory (25-11).   

The trend in the second partial was different with Italy committing some errors and Bulgaria pulled ahead (6-9). The Italian reaction forò è was worth a tie (10-10), but the opponents countered (13-15). The Italian offense struggled to be incisive, contrary to the defensive phase that allowed the girls to hook the Bulgarians again (17-17). The balance è continued until 22-22, when a closely fought action è was closed by Omoruyi (in for Nervini) and Italy found the decisive stretch (25-22).

In the third set, Omoruyi confirmed for Bosetti, the tricolor lineup immediately tried the stretch (6-3), but at first Bulgaria answered (7-7). However, Italy needed only a few actions to extinguish the opponents’ resistance (14-10). Once they gained the lead Cambi and her teammates did not allow any more opportunities to come back to Bulgaria and the match è ended with the score of (25-19).