ITALY pulled off a 23-25, 25-20, 25-15, 25-21 victory over fierce rival Brazil yesterday in the opener of the crucial Week 3 of the Volleyball Nations League men’s tournament at the Mall of Asia Arena and boosted its playoff hopes.
Currently ranked No. 4 in the world, the Italians went on a 6-2 closeout in the fourth set, highlighted by Daniele Lavia’s ace, to break free from a 19-all deadlock and cap a thrilling reversal before Filipino fans that lapped up the thrilling action.
Italy improved its record to 6-3 and tied Brazil at fourth place in the final preliminary leg of the 16-team event organized by the International Volleyball Federation and Volleyball World.
Italy takes on Canada next while Brazil tangles with the Netherlands on Thursday.
Spiker Yuri Romano led the way with 20 points on 16 hits and four aces as the Italians bounced back from a 19-25, 26-28,18-25, 20-25 loss to world No. 1 Poland last week in the Netherlands to boost their chances for a top 8 finish.
Only the top eight teams will qualify for the final round of the VNL, backed by Ganten, Gerflor, Mikasa, Mizuno, Senoh and Stake.com as global sponsors, from July 19 to 24 in Poland.
Alessandro Michieletto added 17 points, Gianluca Galassi had 12 points on four blocks, while Lavia added 10 points for Italy, which is out to redeem itself after its top-seed finish last year went to waste in a semifinal exit.
“We’re very happy for this win. We need this in the standings. After losing the first set, we played well and won the next three. We’re very happy. It’s very important for our qualification,” said Romano, whose thunderous kill gave Italy a 20-19 lead in the fourth.
Ranged against a fierce rival that had beaten them thrice in Olympic gold medal encounters, the Italians dropped the first set 23-25 but battled back strong, punctuated by a 25-15 third-set dominance for a 2-1 lead.
Brazil, the 2021 champion, refused to go down easily the same way in the fourth set in a bid to force a decider until Romano and Galassi joined hands with a string of hammering attacks. Lavia iced the deal with a sweet service ace. — Abby Toralba
