Italy has claimed the prestigious title at the CEV U16 Men`s Volleyball European Championship, which concluded in Yerevan on Sunday. Spain secured the silver medal, while France proudly took home the bronze.
Throughout the tournament, Italy demonstrated strong performance, finishing as runners-up in Pool II with an impressive 6-1 win-loss record, just behind undefeated France. This positioned them for a high-stakes semifinal against Poland, who had dominated Pool I without a single defeat. In the parallel semifinal match, Spain, having placed second in Pool I with an identical 6-1 record, faced off against France.
Remarkably, both semifinal encounters saw the pool runners-up emerge victorious over the top-seeded teams. Italy delivered a convincing 3-1 victory over Poland (25-19, 16-25, 25-19, 25-20). Meanwhile, Spain triumphed in a thrilling five-set marathon against France, securing a hard-fought 3-2 win (25-22, 25-13, 20-25, 16-25, 15-12).
The championship final, held at the Gazprom-Armenia Sports Complex in the Armenian capital, witnessed Italy clinch the title with a 3-1 victory over Spain (25-21, 18-25, 25-23, 25-19). Earlier, the bronze medal contest was also decided in four sets, with France overcoming Poland 3-1 (25-15, 22-25, 25-22, 25-16).
The final standings for teams placed fifth through sixteenth were as follows: Czechia, Romania, Turkiye, Latvia, Greece, Bulgaria, Slovenia, Ukraine, Austria, Serbia, Hungary, and the host nation, Armenia.
Italy`s outstanding 15-year-old opposite hitter, Federico Guiotto, was rightfully awarded the Most Valuable Player (MVP) title for his exceptional performance. He also earned a place on the tournament`s prestigious Dream Team. Other members of the Dream Team included setter Jorge Aguilera Martin (Spain), outside hitters Alex Pozzato Torrico (Spain) and Samuele Filippi (Italy), middle blockers Enzo Savalli (France) and Michele Mangini (Italy), and libero Corentin Agnese (France).
Oliver Wrenwick 
Finley Blackwood