In Bangkok, fate chose the most romantic and surprising plot for the women’s volleyball world final: Italy vs. Turkey, wife vs. husband. On one side is Monica “Moky” De Gennaro, Italy’s libero among the most winningest ever Olympic gold medalists in Paris 2024 and symbol of an entire generation; on the other side is Daniele Santarelli, from Foligno, the coach who turned Conegliano into a legend and who now leads Turkey in the hunt for its first rainbow title. Tomorrow, at the center of the world (2:30 p.m. live RAI1, DAZN, VBTV), they will be opponents again for a night: she on the court defending the blue jersey, he on the bench orchestrating the rival moves.

A plot rooted in Vicenza, cradle of talent and stories destined to leave their mark. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, it was Giovanni Coviello, one of the greatest executives of the time and ever in volleyball (not only Italian), and the mind behind the Minetti project, who glimpsed in 2002, in that 14-year-old girl who arrived from Piano di Sorrento, the makings of a champion. “Monica already had something unique – says Coviello -Despite her age she showed charisma, determination and a lucidity that is rarely seen in teenage girls. It was clear to us that she would become a leader.”

Seven seasons in Vicenza shaped Moky’s character: three youth championships, her debut in A1 and an increasingly central role in the locker room. “Our club in those years felt an integral part of the Azzurri–s successes,” Coviello continued.Athletes such as Paggi, Togut and Mifkova wore the Vicenza jersey and helped write the historic page of the 2002 World Cup. Knowing that De Gennaro was also following that groove was a source of pride.” Monica and Daniele got to know each other during the very years of Minetti Vicenza: “Both played in their respective Vicenza branch formations, she in A1, he in B1 – presses Coviello – polite, mannerly, loving kids and serious professionals. Same role. The men’s team and the women’s team, in the relevant categories, were collecting very good results, by the way.” The Minetti of the golden days also churned out the strongest frees, in the women’s, in the world like Isabella Zilio and Elke Wijnhoven. Those were also the years where Coviello decided to open up to the men’s sector, trying to bring forward two parallel universes that would bring even more luster to Vicenza, to the territory and to the volleyball tradition that he himself had managed to build over the years and that was being recognized globally, starting with the Women’s Volleyball League Serie A, passing through the CEV to the very powerful FIVB.

And that’s not all. Twenty years later, the founder of “miracle Vicenza” reads this final as a tangible sign of the strength of that laboratory. “The greatest contentment – emphasizes Coviello – is to see two red-and-whites in a world final: her, who as a child took her first steps on our parquet, and him, who as a mid-level player nonetheless laid the foundation for an extraordinary career on the bench. Two kids who from our teams certainly absorbed one lesson: commitment and seriousness.”

And it was also in Vicenza that Daniele Santarelli’s parabola took shape. A good libero with an already strong passion for the bench, he began right there to cultivate the talent that would take him to the top of the world. Then love with Monica, marriage in 2017, and a lightning-fast coaching career full of successes: everything with Conegliano in Italy and the world, the 2022 World Cup with Serbia, the European Championship and the VNL in 2023 with Turkey. Now as an Italian he dreams of the rainbow title right against his own Italy, his wife’s national team.

At the Paris Games the verdict had been the opposite, with Moky able to beat him twice, first in the group stage and then in the semifinals. This time the stakes are even higher. Tomorrow, in the Thai night, it will not only be Italy vs. Turkey, it will be the confrontation between two crossed destinies, between a champion who is about to say goodbye to the Azzurro and a coach among the most successful in the world. But it will also, and above all, be a reflection of an idea born 20 years ago in Vicenza: there, a genius in communications and management named Giovanni Coviello knew how to believe in the dreams of these two boys as well, delivering to international volleyball an eternal lesson in commitment and seriousness.

In Bangkok, fate chose the most romantic and surprising plot for the women’s volleyball world final: Italy vs. Turkey, wife vs. husband. On one side is Monica “Moky” De Gennaro, Italy’s libero among the most winningest ever Olympic gold medalists in Paris 2024 and symbol of an entire generation; on the other side is Daniele Santarelli, from Foligno, the coach who turned Conegliano into a legend and who now leads Turkey in the hunt for its first rainbow title. Tomorrow, at the center of the world (2:30 p.m. live RAI1, DAZN, VBTV), they will be opponents again for a night: she on the court defending the blue jersey, he on the bench orchestrating the rival moves.

A plot rooted in Vicenza, cradle of talent and stories destined to leave their mark. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, it was Giovanni Coviello, one of the greatest executives of the time and ever in volleyball (not only Italian), and the mind behind the Minetti project, who glimpsed in 2002, in that 14-year-old girl who arrived from Piano di Sorrento, the makings of a champion. “Monica already had something unique – says Coviello -Despite her age she showed charisma, determination and a lucidity rarely seen in teenage girls. It was clear to us that she would become a leader.”

Seven seasons in Vicenza shaped Moky’s character: three youth championships, her debut in A1 and an increasingly central role in the locker room. “Our club in those years felt an integral part of the Azzurri–s successes,” Coviello continued.Athletes such as Paggi, Togut and Mifkova wore the Vicenza jersey and helped write the historic page of the 2002 World Cup. Knowing that De Gennaro was also following that groove was a source of pride.” Monica and Daniele got to know each other during the very years of Minetti Vicenza: “Both played in their respective Vicenza branch formations, she in A1, he in B1 – presses Coviello – polite, mannerly, loving kids and serious professionals. Same role. The men’s team and the women’s team, in the relevant categories, were collecting very good results, by the way.” The Minetti of the golden days also churned out the strongest frees, in the women’s, in the world like Isabella Zilio and Elke Wijnhoven. Those were also the years where Coviello decided to open up to the men’s sector, trying to bring forward two parallel universes that would bring even more luster to Vicenza, to the territory and to the volleyball tradition that he himself had managed to build over the years and that was being recognized globally, starting with the Women’s Volleyball League Serie A, passing through the CEV to the very powerful FIVB.

And that’s not all. Twenty years later, the founder of “miracle Vicenza” reads this final as a tangible sign of the strength of that laboratory. “The greatest contentment – emphasizes Coviello – is to see two red-and-whites in a world final: her, who as a child took her first steps on our parquet, and him, who as a mid-level player nonetheless laid the foundation for an extraordinary career on the bench. Two kids who from our teams certainly absorbed one lesson: commitment and seriousness.”

And it was also in Vicenza that Daniele Santarelli’s parabola took shape. A good libero with an already strong passion for the bench, he began right there to cultivate the talent that would take him to the top of the world. Then love with Monica, marriage in 2017, and a lightning-fast coaching career full of successes: everything with Conegliano in Italy and the world, the 2022 World Cup with Serbia, the European Championship and the VNL in 2023 with Turkey. Now as an Italian he dreams of the rainbow title right against his own Italy, his wife’s national team.

At the Paris Games the verdict had been the opposite, with Moky able to beat him twice, first in the group stage and then in the semifinals. This time the stakes are even higher. Tomorrow, in the Thai night, it will not only be Italy vs. Turkey, it will be the confrontation between two crossed destinies, between a champion who is about to say goodbye to the Azzurro and a coach among the most successful in the world. But it will also, and above all, be a reflection of an idea born 20 years ago in Vicenza: there, a genius of communication and management named Giovanni Coviello knew how to believe in the dreams of these two boys as well, delivering to international volleyball an eternal lesson in commitment and seriousness.