Stefania Corna, former Italian national volleyball player, dies at 35

The Italian volleyball community is mourning the death of former national team player Stefania Corna, who died on Wednesday, October 7, 2026, at the age of 35 following a long illness. Corna, a product of the Foppapedretti, spent years competing across Serie A and Serie A2 before stepping away from the court in 2017 to pursue a career in education.

Funeral Services Scheduled in Boltiere

Funeral services for Corna are scheduled for Friday, October 9, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. local time at the Church of San Giorgio in Boltiere. She lived in Boltiere after growing up in Bergamo, and the local community has gathered to offer their final farewells to the former setter.

Federation Orders Nationwide Silence

To honor her memory, the Italian Volleyball Federation ordered a minute of silence across all national, regional, and territorial matches scheduled between Friday, October 9, and Sunday, October 11, 2026. The governing body noted that Corna made her senior national team debut on June 7, 2011, during a 1-3 loss to Cuba at the Montreux Volley Masters, after previously capturing European junior titles with Italy in 2006 and 2008.

STEFANIA CORNA, FORMER NATIONAL VOLLEYBALL PLAYER, HAS DIED: SHE WAS 35

Club Career Across Italy

During her club career, Corna played for numerous Italian teams. Records show she wore the jerseys of Foppapedretti—winning the Coppa Italia with them in 2008—as well as stints with Milano, Parma, Pavia, Giaveno, Casalmaggiore, Montichiari, Scandicci, Club Italia, Maglie, and Cutrofiano, where she finished her playing career.

Transition to the Classroom

After retiring from professional sports in 2017, Corna married Cuban volleyball player Alejandro Rizo Gonzalez and redirected her energy toward teaching English to primary school children. Ilaria Longobardi, a coordinator at a primary school in Calcinate where Corna taught, told Corriere della Sera that the former athlete developed an innovative method to engage young students with foreign languages, maintaining her characteristic athletic discipline until her health no longer allowed it.