Italvolley Women Find Some Consolation After a Bitter Defeat: Antropova Steals the Show

Italy ends the 2026 Women’s Volleyball Nations League on a high note, despite the disappointment of losing the semifinal to Brazil in a tiebreaker. In Macau, the world champions secured third place—and the bronze medal that comes with it—by defeating China 3-1 (25-16, 23-25, 25-22, 25-13) in a match where the Azzurre, led by Julio Velasco, showed the right kind of character to finish on the VNL podium for the fourth time in the last five editions—even though they had won gold in the 2022, 2024, and 2025 editions.

The Italian team set the pace from the very first rallies, dominating the opening set and effectively countering China’s comeback in the second set—the only one won by the hosts. The Azzurre thus remain at the top of the FIVB rankings, an important sign of consistency ahead of the European Championships, a tournament that will award a direct berth to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

In terms of individual performance, Ekaterina Antropova led the Azzurre with 26 points (and 4 aces), but Sarah Farh (13 points) and Stella Nervini (11 points) also stood out. Paola Egonu also made an impact in the closing stages of the set, scoring one point. For the Chinese team, the top performers were Zhuang (14), Gong (10), and middle blocker Wang (10), but overall, their performance wasn’t enough to contain Italy.

Attention now turns to the European Championships, which begin on August 21: Italy is in Group D alongside Croatia, France, Montenegro, and Sweden, with the top four teams advancing to the knockout stage. The top three teams at the end of the tournament will qualify directly for the 2027 World Championships; furthermore, the winner will automatically qualify for the Los Angeles Games.