A Generation That Won It All, Faster Than Anyone Expected
In a remarkable sprint, Italian volleyball captured every major prize in a matter of weeks. The women clinched the world title on September 7, adding a second global crown to their history, and the men followed suit days later with a 3-1 victory over Bulgaria in the final. This back-to-back success is more than luck: it is the culmination of a long-term project that began to bear fruit in 2021 after the Tokyo Olympics, a renewal that refreshed the squad while preserving a thread of continuity from one of the sport’s most demanding cycles.
A Renewed, Focused System
The present Italian team rests on a rebuilt and younger core, but with a clear identity: aggressive serving, relentless defense, and a high level of execution in the critical moments of knockout rounds. This is a squad that arrived as a favorite not because it boasted every star, but because it had a deep bench and a plan that could adapt on the fly. The side has frequently reached the final stages of major tournaments in recent years, and the world championship run confirmed that the level of fundamentals—serve, reception, and wall-defense—had been raised to a new standard. Captain Giannelli and a cosmopolitan group of attackers and defenders provided a balance that opponents found hard to dismantle over four sets in the decisive matches.
Semifinal Versus Poland: Precision Under Fire
To beat Poland, you must maintain pressure and minimize errors while exploiting the moments when the serve becomes a weapon. Italy achieved that in spades: seven aces across three sets, a strong serve-and-receive foundation, and a defense that refused to loosen even when the going got tight. The block-defense tandem of Balaso and Giannelli anchored the team, with Michieletto often serving as the relentless athlete who stretched the Polish block and kept rallies alive. Even on a day when one of the team’s new faces, Bottolo, had his rough patches in attack, the Italians found other ways to win points—mixtures of pace, placement, and pressure that kept Poland from settling into a rhythm.
Romanò emerged as the quintessential clutch player: a left-handed opposite who could both terminate quickly and stabilize the transition when the ball needed to travel through the seams. The semifinal demonstrated not only talent but a collective willingness to sacrifice for the ball, a hallmark of the De Giorgi era.
Final Versus Bulgaria: A Victory Orchestrated by Service and Depth
Bulgaria arrived as an audacious underdog that rode the talent of the Nikolov brothers and a high-velocity attack, led by Alexander Nikolov. Yet the Italians’s momentum in the serve game—especially in the last two sets—sealed the outcome. Bottolo delivered a standout performance from the service line, turning the fourth set into a one-way street with a long service run and a late scoring spree that broke the Bulgarian resistance. Anzani’s late appearance in the middle added a new dimension at the net, combining physical presence with precision in crucial moments. The match underscored a broader truth: the Italian team had a broader toolbox—versatility in the lineup, reliable defense, and a capacity to defend a lead when the others pressed forward. Romanò, again, was the backbone, translating Giannelli’s quick, sharp sets into points with a mix of power and touch that made him nearly unstoppable when the team needed a decisive stretch.
Romanò and the Rise of the Generational Era
Across the knockout phase, Yuri Romanò carried the offensive load with a maturity beyond his years. He formed one of the most effective diagonals with Giannelli in recent major tournaments, and his ability to convert from multiple angles gave the team a reliable artillery in the middle of rallies. The absence of Lavia did not undermine Italy’s depth; Bottolo stepped up as the primary weapon in the right moments, and Porro’s entry in the third set added resilience in reception and variety in attacks. The squad’s success has been described as a bridge between generations—the Giannelli-led core and the new wave of players who emerged in the post-Tokyo era—an alignment that has transformed the national program into a consistently high-performing machine.
What This Means for Italian Volleyball
The double podium in consecutive global events marks a watershed for Italy, signaling a sustained period of excellence across genders. It is a validation of the youth-development pipeline and the strategic approach under coach Fefè De Giorgi, who has stitched together a roster capable of adapting to opponents and conditions at the world level. While debates about scheduling and the biennial World Championship will continue, the current narrative is about continuity, depth, and a culture of winning that permeates every level of Italian volleyball. This is the era many once imagined—the era of the “generation of phenomena” translated from the court to the national program, with De Giorgi guiding the thread through both men’s and women’s teams.
Looking Ahead
With a strong foundation and a proven blueprint, Italy’s volleyball family can anticipate continued success on the world stage, including the Olympic cycle ahead. The lessons of this season—discipline in serve-receive, unselfish defense, and a belief that every player can be a difference-maker—will shape the next chapters of Italian volleyball’s astonishing story.
