Italian outside hitter Daniele Lavia has come into his own through great mentoring and a solid set of fundamentals that is now backing his reputation to be a dual threat outside hitter on the volleyball court.
VNL 2023
Daniele Lavia just keeps getting better
Lavia is only 23 and could do almost everything and he is getting better and better each time
Published 12:49, 04 Jul 2023
Now, Lavia’s influence is ingrained in the team’s fiber, and he is doing exactly what he needs to do, always turning up on offense and defense. His talent is changing and evolving for the better and that is a good thing for Italy.
Daniele Lavia showing a great range of skills at the 2023 VNL
The credit for Lavia’s improvement in different areas of his game over the last few years must go to a lengthy list of brilliant Italian coaches, including Mario Barbieri, Monica Cresta, Gianlorenzo Blengini, Ferdinando De Giorgi in the national team, and Andrea Giani and Angelo Lorenzetti in the club teams.
His first medal as a youth player was a silver at the U19 European Championship, and as a junior player, he received a silver and a Best Outside Hitter award at the U21 World Championship.
He joined the senior team in 2019, but his best seasons were in 2021 and 2022. He won gold and a Best Outside Hitter award at the 2021 European Championship and later won bronze at the Club World Championship in Betim with Itas Trentino.
In 2022, he became a world champion, leading Italy with 19 points, including 16 attacks, two blocks and an ace, to beat Poland on their home court in a four-set match. By the end of the year, he added another medal to his collection – a silver at the Club World Championship, also with Itas Trentino.
The advance work that Lavia did as a younger athlete paid dividends in every game thereafter, and the most amazing thing is his dedication to expanding his skill set.
Catch more of Daniele Lavia and Italy at the 2023 Volleyball Nations League. The Azzuri will be in Pasay City in the Philippines on the third week. Their first three opponents will be 2021 VNL champions Brazil on July 4, Canada on July 6 and Slovenia on July 7 at 15:00 local time (07:00 UTC), and Japan on July 8 at 19:00 (11:00 UTC).
