Defending champions Italy are the first semifinalists

Defending champions Italy claimed the first spot in the Volleyball Nations League 2025 semifinals on Wednesday, after the Europeans swept the United States in the quarterfinals in a rematch of last year’s Paris Olympics gold medal match.

The reigning Olympic champions were dominant in the first two sets of the opening match of the VNL Finals at the Atlas Arena, in Łódź, but saw the Americans fight back in the third and had to push hard at the end to secure a 3-0 (25-22, 25-21, 28-26) victory that got them closer to successfully defending the title they won in 2024.

• Watch the Volleyball Nations League Finals live on VBTV

Their opponents in Saturday’s semifinals will be known later on Wednesday, after hosts Poland and China meet at 20:00 local time (18:00 GMT) in the second quarterfinal. The other two duels are scheduled for Thursday, with Japan and Türkiye playing at 16:30 local time (14:30 GMT) and Brazil and Germany facing off at 20:00 (18:00 GMT).

The only undefeated team in the VNL 2025, Italy counted on 20 points (17 kills, two aces, one block) from star Paola Egonu to take the Americans down in straight sets. Fellow opposite Ekaterina Antropova added a lot off the bench, producing nine points, one more than middle blockers Anna Danesi and Sarah Fahr.

“I’m really happy that we could pull out a win today,” Antropova reacted. “It wasn’t easy, but I’m really proud of the team because of how we managed the difficult situations. We’ve been working as a team, and everybody is ready to support. We’ve been approaching each match with the right attitude. We know our strenghts, but we always want to prove ourselves and play great volleyball.”

On the American side, outside hitter Avery Skinner, one of just three Paris Olympic medalists to be with the team in the Finals, was the most productive, with 11 points, all in kills. Fellow outside hitter Sarah Franklin added eight, with seven kills and one block.

“I think we’re pretty familiar with each other and that can make it fun too, because we have to be creative,” Skinner, who played in Italy in the last club season, said. “But for sure, they put together a good match, and I’m proud of us for sticking with it until the end. We’re super young, and each week was just about building on what we did the week before. This summer is long, we still have the World Championship, and we’ll work even more for it.”

The Italian offensive efficiency was a key factor in their victory, as the defending champions outscored the Americans in kills by 50 to 36. They also had the edge in aces (five to four), but delivered more points in errors (23 to 17). Each team registered six aces.

Volleyball Nations League 2025: full schedule and results

Undefeated in their last 27 official matches, the Italians are set to make their third appearance in the VNL semifinals. The Europeans ended up winning gold in the first two times they did it, in 2022 and 2024.

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