The reigning Olympic and VNL champions swept Slovakia in their inaugural match in Phuket, showcasing their formidable prowess.
Italy, the reigning Olympic champions, continued their impressive, year-long unbeaten run on Friday, securing a decisive victory in their first match of the 2025 FIVB Volleyball Women’s World Championship in Phuket.
As leaders in the FIVB World Ranking, Italy leveraged their vast experience and superior skill to clinch a straightforward 3-0 (25-20, 25-14, 25-17) win against World Championship newcomers Slovakia in their Pool B debut.
The Italian squad, featuring many key players from their triumphant Paris Olympic campaign last year, saw star opposite Paola Egonu lead the scoring with 15 points (12 kills, two blocks, one ace). She was ably supported by 21-year-old outside hitter Stella Nervini, who contributed nine points (six kills, two aces, one block).
“Our goal today was to play our characteristic style and achieve a 3-0 victory,” remarked middle blocker and team captain Anna Danesi. “We`re pleased we accomplished that, though I believe some players, including myself, felt some initial jitters. I`m confident we can perform even better in upcoming matches.”
Despite playing in their very first World Championship match, Slovakia displayed commendable moments against the formidable Italians. Opposite Karin Šunderlíková was their top performer, tallying 12 points (ten kills, two aces).
Slovakian captain and outside hitter Karin Palgutová reflected, “Italy is undoubtedly the best team globally, so we knew our chances today were slim. We took calculated risks and gave it our all. I think we can be proud of our effort; we weren`t intimidated and showed what we`re capable of. We need to maintain this positive spirit for our next games, as we believe we have opportunities to win those.”
Italy, the world`s top-ranked team, surpassed Slovakia in offensive categories, recording 40 kills to Slovakia`s 31, seven blocks to one, and five aces to two. They also capitalized on more opponent errors, gaining 23 points from Slovakia`s mistakes while committing only 17 of their own.
Earlier in Phuket, Belgium secured a 3-0 (25-23, 25-14, 25-11) sweep against Cuba in the pool`s opening match. The second round of Pool B matches is scheduled for Sunday, with Italy facing Cuba at 17:00 local time (10:00 GMT) and Slovakia competing against Belgium at 20:30 local time (13:30 GMT).
Jasper Thornfield 
Oliver Wrenwick