Italy bounce back and end the week in the top three

Reigning world champions Italy were the last national team to celebrate a victory in the second week of the Volleyball Nations League 2025 Preliminary Phase after the Europeans took down hosts the United States in Chicago on Sunday.

One day after losing to Brazil, the Italians were reinvigorated on the court and dominated the match from start to finish to secure a 3-0 (25-21, 25-22, 25-18) victory and end the week with a positive record of three wins and one loss at the NOW Arena.

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The three points earned with the sweep over the Americans placed Italy back in the top three in the VNL 2025 standings as the Europeans got to 17 points (six wins, two losses) and appear in third place, behind Brazil (20) and Poland (18), two national teams they faced this week in Chicago.

Playing more aggressively than the Americans, the Italians outscored their opponents in aces (eight to one) and blocks (six to two), besides benefiting from more errors (23 to 18). The United States had a slim edge in kills (40 to 38).

A new face with the Italian national team this season, opposite Kamil Rychlicki had his most productive match in the VNL 2025 so far, tallying a match-high 17 points (13 kills, three aces, one block). Outside hitters Alessandro Michieletto and Luca Porro had 12 and ten, respectively.

“We have a great atmosphere in the team, with a lot of young guys who want to push and achieve big things, and that brings a lot of motivation for the team,” Rychlicki said. “It was a positive week for us, but we still have a lot to improve on. Not necessarily something major, but if we can take one little step forward in each element, our game can look much better.”

Outside hitter Cooper Robinson, who scored 11 points in kills, and opposite Gabi Garcia, who delivered ten, with nine kills and one ace, were the most effective players for the United States.

The Americans collected five points in their four VNL home matches, beating China and Canada and losing to Poland and Italy, and now rank 13^th in the tournament, with ten points (four wins, four losses).

“The team is growing,” Garcia reflected. “The young kids are not so young anymore, and we’re happy about this. We know we have a lot of work to do and that we’re still learning about each other and our weaknesses and our strengths. We’re happy with the results we got this week. We’re going to keep working and preparing for the next one.”

The other matches of the day in Chicago had Canada beating China 3-0 (25-23, 25-20, 25-23) and Brazil topping Poland 3-1 (25-21, 25-21, 21-25, 28-26).

VNL 2025 – Match Schedule & Results

The VNL 2025 will have a one-week break before the women return to action from July 9-13. The men will compete again from July 16-20, with pools held in Chiba, Japan, Gdańsk, Poland, and Ljubljana, Slovenia.

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