VNL: Italy Defeated, Qualification in Jeopardy—What It Will Take to Reach the Quarterfinals
The men’s national volleyball team lost 3-2 to Japan (24-26, 25-19, 25-20, 23-25, 15-12) in the first of four matches the Azzurri have scheduled for the third and final week of the preliminary round of the Volleyball Nations League. Bovolenta’s 14 points, Lavia’s 13, Bottolo’s 12, and the 11 each from Luca Porro and Sanguinetti weren’t enough: the Japanese, led by Ran’s 26 points and Nishida’s 20, handed Italy its fourth loss in the competition, putting the team in serious jeopardy heading into the quarterfinals.
Coach Fefè De Giorgi’s Azzurri have three matches remaining, all to be played in Japan: Thursday’s match against Belgium, Saturday’s against Argentina, and Sunday’s final match against Cuba. Their current record—five wins and four losses—leaves no room for further missteps: to reach the quarterfinals, they must win and, ideally, capitalize on favorable results from matches involving their direct competitors, such as Ukraine, Turkey, Bulgaria, and Brazil.
This year marks the eighth edition of the Volleyball Nations League, the competition that replaced the former World League in 2018. Italy has never won the men’s tournament, but last year it made it all the way to the final, only to lose to Poland 3-0. The Azzurri, the reigning world champions, have also finished in fourth place twice, in 2022 and 2023.
The VNL final round will take place from July 29 to August 2 in Ningbo, China. The top seven teams from the single 18-team group will qualify, joined by host China despite finishing last in the standings.
