Italia Repeats Success Against Ukraine in Koszalin

KOSZALIN (POLONIA) - Italia achieves a second consecutive win. Following their victory over France, Julio Velasco's team defeated Ukraine 3-1 (18-25, 25-14, 25-22, 25-20) at the Sport and Entertainment Hall, marking their second triumph at the Memorial Agata Mróz-Olszewska. It was an intense match where Italy demonstrated consistency and resilience, even in challenging moments, continuing their preparation for the European Championships.

The match was marked early in the second set by an unfortunate injury to Loveth Omoruyi. The Italian spiker fell awkwardly after an action at the net and was taken off the court on a stretcher for initial evaluations.

Tomorrow, Thursday, August 13th, at 6 PM, Italy will face the host nation, Poland, in the concluding match of the international tournament in Koszalin.

For the encounter against Ukraine, Coach Velasco fielded Cambi as setter, Egonu as opposite, Giovannini and Omoruyi on the wings, Nwakalor and Meli as middle blockers, and Spirito as libero. Ukraine's coach, Głusza, started with Sharhorodska as setter, Danchak in position 2, Milenko and Pavlyk as spikers, Meliushkyna and Kotar in the middle, and Boiko as libero.

Italy started strong, taking a 5-0 lead, but Ukraine responded with a 0-9 run, highlighted by Meliushkyna and Danchak. The Italian team struggled with Ukraine's powerful serves (7-14). Nervini came in for Giovannini. Italy showed effectiveness at the middle with Meli and Nwakalor making a difference (11-15). The game's tempo increased as Italy chased the score, and Ukraine's serving became increasingly dangerous (12-19). Italy improved in all aspects, closing the gap with contributions from Nervini and Egonu (18-23), but two points from Danchak secured the first set for Ukraine (18-25).

At the beginning of the second set, as mentioned, Omoruyi suffered an injury with the score at 3-1. Giovannini replaced her. The Italian team, consistently leading throughout the set, continued to build momentum with quality play and determination (19-13), putting their opponents under pressure. In the final moments, Italy sealed the set comfortably at 25-14 with a sharp attack from Egonu, leveling the match at 1-1.

The third set was highly contested, with Italy and Ukraine neck-and-neck (9-9). Italy then increased their intensity, pulling ahead to 16-11. Egonu was a formidable attacker (19-14), and Cambi's distribution was flawless. Spirito delivered a strong performance in the back row. On the other side, Dorsman's experience helped bring Ukraine back into contention (20-17), but Italy made a decisive surge to win the set 25-22, taking a 2-1 lead.

The beginning of the fourth set also saw the teams tied (11-11). Italy elevated their game's rhythm, Egonu attacked powerfully, Nwakalor and Meli were effective and composed at the middle, and Giovannini provided quality in reception (20-17). The Italian team was relentless in attack, and an unforced error on Ukraine's serve (25-20) granted Italy their second consecutive victory on Polish soil.

Anna Danesi's Words

"We understand the importance of this tournament, also for those who have played a bit less, but generally for the entire team, which has the opportunity to play before the Europeans. Today, unfortunately, Loveth's injury occurred, and we are immensely sorry. It should never happen. We have played two good matches these past few days, and tomorrow we will face Poland, the host nation. The level will continue to rise, and we will continue to improve."

She then looked ahead to the upcoming continental championship:

"We will approach these European Championships gradually, in my opinion, game by game. First, we will focus on the teams awaiting us in Sweden, and then as we progress, we will think about the rest. There are still some things to refine, I believe, but we are on the right track. The group is good, always eager to work, and we are challenging ourselves after the VNL bronze medal, but we are motivated to start this European Championship."

Match Details

ITALY-UKRAINE 3-1 (18-25, 25-14, 25-22, 25-20)

ITALY: Meli 11, Cambi 8, Spirito (L), Fersino (L) DNP, Orro DNP, Danesi DNP, Nwakalor 10, Nervini 11, Sylla DNP, Egonu 21, Fahr DNP, Omoruyi 2, Giovannini 5, Antropova DNP. Coach: Velasco

UKRAINE: Milenko 15, Meliushkyna 7, Lutsenko (L) DNP, Pavlyk 11, Dorsman 6, Parfonova 1, Nudha DNP, Danchak 16, Fedyk DNP, Sharhorodska 5, Artyshuk, Zharkova DNP, Boiko (L), Dymar DNP, Kotar 3. Coach: Jakub Głuszak

REFEREES: Piotr Skowronski (Pol), Pawel Sosnowski (Pol)

Duration: 24’, 27’, 26’, 23’. Total: 100’

Italy: 9 aces, 6 errors, 7 blocks; Ukraine: 7 aces, 13 errors, 7 blocks