Italy secured third place at the women's Volleyball Nations League 2026 on Sunday, bouncing back from a heartbreaking semi-final loss to Brazil with a commanding 3-1 (25-16, 23-25, 25-22, 25-13) victory over hosts China at the VNL Finals in Macao.
The world and Olympic champions, winners of the last two VNL editions, added the first bronze medal to their VNL collection — which already features three golds — courtesy of a dominant performance spearheaded by opposite Ekaterina Antropova. The 22-year-old Russian-born star amassed a match-high 26 points, including four aces and a kill block, earning Player of the Match honours.
Italy wasted no time asserting their authority, storming through the opening set with a devastating 13-3 run. Captain Myriam Sylla closed it out with an ace, giving the Italians a 1-0 lead. China responded in the second set behind three aces from Zhuang Yushan, who helped the hosts level the match 1-1.
The pivotal third set saw China race to an early 3-0 lead, but Italy's resilience shone through. Trailing early, they rebuilt a 17-13 advantage before China fought back to level. However, a blistering attack from 22-year-old outside hitter Stella Nervini brought up set point, and Tang Xin's attack went long to hand Italy the set 25-22. The fourth set was one-sided from the opening whistle, with Antropova dominating from the service line and at the net. She fittingly delivered the match-winning point as Italy cruised to a 25-13 close.
Italy's 65-46 advantage in kills proved decisive. The Azzurre also out-aced China 8-4 and committed fewer unforced errors (16-20). Middle blocker Sarah Fahr contributed 13 points, while Nervini added 11. For China, Zhuang Yushan led with 14 points including three aces, while captain Gong Xiangyu and middle Wang Yuanyuan each chipped in with 10.
"It wasn't easy to recover from yesterday's loss. Obviously, we wanted to play in the final today, but still winning the third place is absolutely amazing and I am really happy we could do that," Antropova told VBTV after the match.
Sources
- https://en.volleyballworld.com/volleyball/competitions/volleyball-nations-league/news/antropova-shines-in-italy-s-consolation-win-for-vnl-bronze
