The Italian comeback was propelled by strong performances of their outside hitter duo as while Alessandro Michieletto led the team with 24 points (22 kills, two blocks), Lavia produced another 19 (16 kills, two blocks, one ace). Opposite Yuri Romanò also had a solid shift, delivering 19 points as well.
"This was such a difficult match, but we just kept fighting," captain Simone Giannelli added. "Japan played very well in the first two sets, but we felt that we were right there in the second. We stayed in the game, tried to focus on the present and that mentality allowed us to come back and win this incredible match. Going forward, we need to keep this same approach and keept fighting because we know we can fight against anyone."
Japanese superstar Yuki Ishikawa topped all scorers with an incredible 32 points, with 30 kills and two aces. Opposite Yuji Nishida, with 22 points, and outside hitter Ran Takahashi, with 16, were also prominent pieces in the team’s offense.
"We're so disappointed because we were so close to reaching the semifinals," head coach Philippe Blain said. "We dreamed of being able to get a medal, but that won't be the case. We tried to stay aggressive, focused but we were just missing a point."
Statistically, the Italians were only better than the Japanese in blocking, outscoring them by 15 to two in that skill. The Asians got more points in kills (73 to 67), aces (seven to six) and opponent errors (32 to 25).
