World champions Italy swept hosts United States in Chicago in their final match of the week, climbing back into third place.
The reigning world champions, Italy, concluded the second week of the Volleyball Nations League 2025 Preliminary Phase with a commanding victory, defeating hosts United States in Chicago on Sunday. After a loss to Brazil the previous day, the Italians showcased renewed energy, dominating the match from start to finish for a 3-0 win (25-21, 25-22, 25-18). This brought their record for the week at the NOW Arena to three wins and one loss.
The straight-sets victory over the Americans earned Italy three crucial points, lifting them back into the top three in the VNL 2025 standings. They now sit in third place with 17 points (six wins, two losses), trailing only Brazil (20) and Poland (18), teams they also played against this week in Chicago.
Italy played with noticeable aggression, particularly excelling in serving and blocking. They outscored the USA eight aces to one and six blocks to two. Italy also benefited from more errors made by their opponents (23 to 18), although the United States held a slight edge in kills (40 to 38).
Player Performance
Opposite Kamil Rychlicki, a new addition to the Italian squad this season, delivered his best VNL 2025 performance yet, leading all scorers with 17 points (13 kills, three aces, one block). Outside hitters Alessandro Michieletto contributed 12 points, and Luca Porro added ten.
We have a great atmosphere in the team, with a lot of young guys who want to push and achieve big things, and that brings a lot of motivation for the team. It was a positive week for us, but we still have a lot to improve on. Not necessarily something major, but if we can take one little step forward in each element, our game can look much better.
For the United States, outside hitter Cooper Robinson was the most effective attacker with 11 points (all from kills), while opposite Gabi Garcia also reached double figures with ten points (nine kills, one ace).
The Americans concluded their four home matches in the VNL with five points, having defeated China and Canada but losing to Poland and Italy. They currently rank 13th in the tournament standings with ten points (four wins, four losses).
The team is growing. The young kids are not so young anymore, and we’re happy about this. We know we have a lot of work to do and that we’re still learning about each other and our weaknesses and our strengths. We’re happy with the results we got this week. We’re going to keep working and preparing for the next one.
Other Results
In the other matches played in Chicago on the final day:
- Canada defeated China 3-0 (25-23, 25-20, 25-23)
- Brazil topped Poland 3-1 (25-21, 25-21, 21-25, 28-26)
Upcoming Schedule
The VNL 2025 will take a one-week break. Women`s competition resumes from July 9-13, while the men`s tournament continues from July 16-20 with pools hosted in Chiba, Japan, Gdańsk, Poland, and Ljubljana, Slovenia.
Jasper Thornfield 
Oliver Wrenwick