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The Italian women’s volleyball national team has not lost a game from June 1, 2024. From that moment on, it won 22 consecutive ones, including the 6 of the Paris Olympics – concluded with a historic gold medal – and the recent 8 with which she obtained in advance the qualification for the final stages of the Volleyball Nations League. In itself, this type of domination is already news: but it is even more relevant that it is happening in the face of the contribution of several new players, with a generational change that is happening not because it is forced by defeats – as often happens in team sports – but following the victories, in order to continue them.
The Nations League is a tournament in which the 18 best national teams in the world participate, and precedes the World Cups that will be played from 22 August to 7 September. Italy has played 4 games so far in the early June in Brazil and 4 others in recent days in Hong Kong, winning them all (he will do 4 more difficult ones in early July in the Netherlands, but is already sure of qualifying for the final phase, scheduled at the end of July in Poland). In the last 4 he beat Bulgaria, Thailand, Japan and China despite the fact that three important players were missing such as the driver Alessia Orro, the crusher Myriam Sylla and the opposite Ekaterina Anthropova, thanks also to the contribution of new strong and promising new volleyball players who were not there, or in any case they had played little.
The coach Julio Velasco is using the Nations League to test them and understand which of them to include in the group that will play the World Cup. For the moment they showed excellent things, demonstrating that they are at least credible alternatives to the owners and, at the same time, how organized and high -level the national team game is now, so much so as to allow new players to get better fit.
In the absence of the owner driver Alessia Orro, left to rest in the last four games, Carlotta Cambi and Chiando Eze alternated in the role. Cambi, a reliable and expert lift, had been Orro’s deputy at the Olympics and is already well introduced to the national team game. Eze, on the other hand, is 21 years old and has just finished his first season in Serie A1 with the small Friulian team of the Talmassons, in which he was highly appreciated: recently he was in fact purchased by Bergamo, where he will play next season.
Despite the little experience at high levels, at the debut Eze has already exhibited a remarkable personality and excellent technical and tactical skills, managing the game of Italy well (the dribbler is the player who raises the ball to the attackers after receiving, choosing every time who to make crushing) and giving an important contribution also in defense and in the beat. “Eze’s talent has been known for some time to those who follow Italian under assiduously”, he wrote Eurosport After the victory against Thailand, “yet now it begins to release constantly on the upper floor. At just 21 years old, the new director of Bergamo convinces in all respects ». In short, it will not be easy for Velasco to choose who to convene at the World Cup as a reserve driver between Cambi and Eze.
In that game together with Eze he entered the opposite, that is the one who attacks the right side of the field, the twenty -four year old Adhuoljok Malual, concluding the game with 10 total points. Of these he made 2 of them on the wall and 8 in attack, where he held an exceptional percentage of efficiency of 80 percent (that is, he took stock with 8 of the 10 attempted crushed). In the role of opposite, the competition is even higher, because the owner is Paola Egonu, one of the best volleyball players in the world, phenomenal also in this Nations League, and the first reserve is Anthropova, another player of the highest level, which would be the owner in almost all the other national teams. Recently, however, Anthropova had some physical problems, leaving a little room for Malual, who was good at exploiting him.
In addition to Eze, there was another absolute debutant in these games, the twenty -one -year -old Star Nermini, crusher of Chieri: her impact was perhaps even more remarkable and surprising. In the 3–2 victory against Japan, the most difficult match faced so far from Italy (he won 19–17 in the fifth set), Nervini has made 15 points, showing an excellent variety of shots in attack, and has also rectied well in defense and reception, that is, on attacks and opposing jokes. Also against China he played well.
The role of crusher is the one who is giving the greatest possibilities to new players, because apart from Sylla, left to rest only in recent games, compared to the Olympics there is no longer Caterina Bosetti. In fact, Velasco has chosen not to convene it, despite being very important, explaining that “in that role we must launch players who can make us take one step more. There are players who do not have the weight that she has, but if we don’t make them play they will never have it ». Among the young crusters, nervies has so far been the most convincing, while Gaia Giovannini and Loveth Omoruyi have struggled a little, who have also been considered promising for some time.
In this Nations League he played well in the role above all Alice Degradi, who is 29 years old and who would have already been convened in the last Olympics, if he had not injured himself shortly before: at the World Cup with excellent probability she and Sylla will be the two crushers holders. Instead, Elena Pietrini will not be, that has given up To the call in the Nations League as well as Sara Bonifacio, Cristina Chirichella and Marina Lubian.
The two plants and the free owners are quite safe (it is difficult to remove the place from Anna Danesi, Sarah Fahr and Monica De Gennaro), but this Nations League was an opportunity also to see the alternatives on the pitch. The free Eleonora Fersino, who will play in Milan from next year, played against Japan and has been specified above all in reception; The central Linda Nwakalor, 22 years old, entered Bulgaria, Thailand and China (and previously against South Korea) and stood out with some decisive attacks and walls.
At the beginning of the season Julio Velasco he said That, after an exceptional 2024, for the national team this year would have been more complicated, because Italy starts as a favorite and because last year in essence everything had gone well: she had dominated the Nations League first and then above all the Olympics without encountering great difficulties. Also to give new stimuli and energy to the team, Velasco is changing a lot, alternating many players so far with excellent results: the national team has not only won all the games, but has faced with awareness and group spirit the difficult moments that have also been there. The next four, especially those against Serbia and Türkiye, will be even more proof for the ambitions of this team.
In the meantime, the coach of Italy is carrying out a gradual generational change, to start planning the future calmly. With the exception of Monica De Gennaro, who is 38 years old but is still the best free in the world, all other players are in the middle of their career: Fahr is 23 years old, Egonu and Orro 26, Danish 29, Sylla 30. In view not so much of the next World Cup, but of the Los Angeles Olympics of 2028, some players will be likely to change, and undoubtedly the younger volleyball players who will have to replace them they will benefit from the experience made in such a strong national team.
– Read also: The women’s national team has done a lot of good for Italian volleyball
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