VOLLEYBALL NATIONS LEAGUE 2023: ITALVOLLEY READY TO START AGAIN!

The wait is almost over: it’s time for the 2023 Volleyball Nations League (VNL), and the Italian teams are ready to take the court in their quest to win the trophy. There are many new elements ahead of this eagerly awaited tournament, with plenty of confirmations and surprises among the selections. The women’s tournament will begin on May 30, while the men’s competition will start on June 6.

The Italian men’s national team, currently the world champion, is set to take the court with a squad of 30 players, many of whom are emerging young talents. Coach Ferdinando De Giorgi is relying on a team that has dominated world volleyball over the past two seasons, but there are also some new faces, including the debut of Alessandro Bovolenta, who played for Consar Ravenna in Serie A2 last season. Of course, there are also some confirmed players: World Cup MVP Simone Giannelli, a pillar of the national team for several years; young talents such as Alessandro Michieletto, Yuri Romanò, Daniele Lavia, and many others. The competition will begin in Ottawa, Canada, followed by Rotterdam, the Netherlands, and finally Pasay City in the Philippines.

As for the women’s national team, reigning champions and bronze medalists at the last World Championships, Coach Davide Mazzanti has decided to follow the same approach as De Giorgi, focusing on young talents who could have great potential for the future. Among these new talents is Rebecca Piva, an outside hitter from VBC Casalmaggiore, born in 2001, but the real big surprise is the opposite from Savino Del Bene Scandicci, Ekaterina Antropova: her Italian citizenship has officially been granted! There are also important confirmations, such as the return of Paola Egonu, who will return to the national team at the first available opportunity after her well-known statements at the end of the last World Championships. Mazzanti’s girls will start in Antalya, Turkey, then move to Asia, with stops in Hong Kong (China) and Bangkok (Thailand).

In short, there is a lot of anticipation for the two Italian national teams. We can only wait and cheer for our blues, hoping they can show their true worth and bring home important victories.

by Hu Zhuohao