Adigwe shines brightest as Women’s U21 MVP

Merit Chinenyenwa Adigwe was named the Most Valuable Player of the 2025 FIVB Volleyball Women’s U21 World Championship after leading Italy to gold with a 34-point performance against Japan in the final.

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“I’m very happy and proud of what I achieved. The MVP is an important award and I can’t wait to share this moment with my family and my teammates,” said Adigwe.

The Italian opposite finished the tournament with 166 points from 132 attacks, 24 blocks and 10 aces. She also had three other matches where she scored at least 30 points, against Poland, China and hosts Indonesia, confirming her place as the most dominant scorer of the competition.

Adigwe was also chosen as Best Opposite in the Dream Team, joined by two other Italians. Teresa Maria Bosso earned recognition as one of the Best Outside Hitters and Dalila Marchesini stood out as one of the Best Middle Blockers. Their presence underlined Italy’s strength on the way to the gold medal.

Japan also had a strong showing with Sae Omori joining Bosso as Best Outside Hitter, while Chisato Hanaoka took the Best Setter honor and Ami Uchizawa was named Best Libero. Brazil was represented by Luana Camila Kuskowski, who completed the lineup as the second Best Middle Blocker.

2025 FIVB Volleyball Women’s U21 World Championship: full schedule

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