The Italians came out on top in the tie-breaker in a match of ups and downs for both sides
Published 09:23, 25 Jun 2025
The victory over leaders Poland took Italy to third place in the standings
Reigning world champions Italy took down the last undefeated men’s national team in the Volleyball Nations League 2025 on Wednesday, overcoming Paris Olympic medalists Poland in the first match of the week in Chicago.
The most anticipated match of the opening day of the second week of the VNL 2025 absolutely lived up to the expectations, delivering the fans five exciting sets at the NOW Arena before the Italians prevailed 3-2 (25-17, 23-25, 21-25, 25-20, 15-11).
Despite suffering their first loss in the tournament, the Polish continue at the top of the VNL standings, now with 13 points (four wins, one loss). The Italians, who have the same campaign, got to ten and went up from fourth to third – the same movement they made in the FIVB World Rankings with the 8.49 points earned.
Having many of their stars making their first appearances in the VNL 2025 this week, the Italians saw two of them make a huge impact in the team’s victory against the Polish in Chicago – outside hitter Alessandro Michieletto led the team with 18 points (12 kills, five aces, one block), while middle blocker Gianluca Galassi tallied 15 (eight kills, seven blocks).
“It was a very tough match against Poland,” captain Simone Giannelli said. “It’s always difficult against them, and we expected a battle like this. We started well, playing aggressively, but after the third set, they were playing very well. We made some changes in the fifth set and fought until the last point, so I’m happy and proud of the team. It was the first match for us in the VNL with the entire team, and we have a lot to work on, but it was a great start.”
Poland counted on their outside hitters to keep them in the match, as while Artur Szalpuk topped all scorers with 20 points (16 kills, two blocks, two aces), Kamil Semeniuk wasn’t far behind, delivering 18, all in kills.
“It was a great experience for our younger players,” Semeniuk reflected. “Every time we play against a team like Italy, we can get a lot of experience. We’re obviously not happy that we lost, but we fought until the end, and it was a nice match to watch.”
The European rivals will be off on Thursday, before returning to action on Friday, when the Italians play China at 16:00 local time (21:00 GMT) and the Polish duel with Canada at 19:30 (00:30 GMT, Saturday).
VNL 2025 – Match Schedule & Results
Two other matches will be held in Chicago on Wednesday, with Brazil and Canada battling at 16:00 (21:00 GMT) and the United States and China facing off at 19:30 (00:30 GMT, Thursday).
In Belgrade, the last of three matches held on the opening day had Iran upsetting hosts Serbia to secure a 3-1 (25-21, 21-19, 23-25, 25-23) victory.
Opposite Amin Esmaeilnezhad carried the Iranians to victory with an outstanding performance, that resulted in 31 points (29 kills, two blocks). Outside hitter Morteza Sharifi was the team’s second-best scorer, with 13 points (11 kills, two aces).
Opposite Drazen Luburić led the home team with 18 points (16 kills, two aces).
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