Julio Velasco has decided: Antropova will once again serve as Paola Egonu’s backup
Italy immediately gets back on track in the Volleyball Nations League. Putting its loss to the United States behind it, the team led by head coach Julio Velasco defeated Japan 3-0 (25-20, 25-23, 25-18) in the final match of Pool 5 during the second week of the VNL, played in Pasig City, Philippines.
This is a highly significant victory that brings the Italian team significantly closer to qualifying for the Finals in Macau. With a record now of six wins and two losses, the goal could be achieved as early as the next and final Pool of the intercontinental phase, scheduled for July 8–11 in Hong Kong.
Against Japan, Italy returned to top form, delivering a solid, effective, and at times spectacular performance. A convincing response that confirms the loss to the U.S. was merely a blip in a season marked by renewal and new challenges.
Among the most significant aspects of the match was Antropova’s return to the opposite hitter position, which helped restore greater balance to the Italian team’s play. The team will now return to Italy for a few days of rest before resuming training in preparation for the final and decisive phase of the 2026 VNL.
“We played very well against a very strong team like Japan,” said Julio Velasco. “The girls did a great job receiving, defending, and keeping the pace high, just like the Japanese do. Our blocking and serving also worked well, so I’m very satisfied. Yesterday we lost a match where there’s a bit of regret about the first set, and then they did a great job of playing excellent volleyball. Today, however, I can’t help but be satisfied and happy with our performance. I didn’t expect to be at this point in the VNL with 6 wins and 2 losses. I think this result exceeds our expectations from the start of the summer because we began the VNL with a new lineup, with Kate (Antropova) playing at position four as we tried something different. Today, however, we put her back in her natural position, and I think the results speak for themselves—our game is working better. The experiment with Antropova at position four is now over. I want to be clear right away, just as I was when I announced this change. In my opinion, Kate is too important to us as an opposite hitter. She’s a huge asset for us in double substitutions, whether she starts from the beginning or plays parts of matches, as has been the case over the past two years. Now, among other things, the squad will be back to full strength; we’ll need to assess the condition of those who, for the first time, have gone many days without training. We’ll evaluate their physical condition and then gradually integrate them into our game plan so that we’re in the best possible shape for the final stretch of the VNL.”
“I’m here for the team and ready to do whatever the coaching staff asks of me,” Antropova said after the Italy-Japan match, “but beyond my role on the court, I’d rather talk about the match. I’m very happy to have closed out the pool stage with this very important victory and, above all, that my teammates—especially the younger ones—were able to experience an atmosphere like the one we felt tonight in this arena. Now the others who are still away will join the group, and it was fitting that the newcomers’ experience was capped off by a victory like this. I don’t think there were any particular adjustments compared to the match against the U.S. It’s simply that in this type of competition, with matches coming one after another, we play day after day, so it’s natural to move from one match to the next without dwelling too much on what happened the day before. We played well, stayed focused, and were effective; I don’t think we could have ended this week any better.”
