Paola Egonu led Italy with 20 points, driving them into the semifinals.
Italy, the current leaders in the FIVB World Rankings, have secured their place in the semifinals of the FIVB Volleyball Women`s World Championship for the fourth consecutive time. They achieved this by dominantly defeating their continental rivals, Poland, in the second quarterfinal match of the 2025 tournament.
The reigning Olympic champions, who are currently on an impressive 34-match unbeaten streak, showcased their significant superiority in the match held on Wednesday in Bangkok. They eliminated the Polish team with a convincing 3-0 victory (25-17, 25-21, 25-18), thus earning their well-deserved spot among the top four teams of the competition.
Video highlights from the match between Italy and Poland are available.
Having previously won gold at the World Championship in 2002, silver in 2018, and bronze in 2022, the Italian team now awaits the outcome of Thursday`s match between Brazil and France. This game, scheduled for 17:00 local time (10:00 GMT), will determine their opponent for the semifinals, which will take place on Saturday in the Thai capital.
Star opposite Paola Egonu was a pivotal force at the net for Italy, leading their offensive efforts with an outstanding 20 points, comprising 19 kills and one block. Middle blocker Sarah Fahr also made significant contributions to the team`s victory, adding 12 points with eight kills and four blocks.
Italian captain Anna Danesi remarked, “We certainly didn’t expect such a decisive victory. We anticipated a tougher match, but we managed to maintain focus throughout and played every point cohesively as a team. I couldn’t be happier. All summer, we`ve adopted a `one point at a time` mentality, always trying to play as if the score was 0-0, and we intend to continue this approach.”
An Instagram post related to the event is available.
For the Polish side, opposite Magdalena Stysiak was their most productive player, delivering a team-high 15 points (12 kills, three blocks). Paulina Damaske, starting as an outside hitter, contributed nine points with seven kills and two blocks.
Polish team captain and middle blocker Agnieszka Korneluk commented, “It’s been an incredible journey for us. We gave our best tonight, but they are the Olympic champions and played like it, so they deserve all the credit. I believe the second set was crucial. We made too many errors, and against a team of this caliber, we simply couldn`t afford that.”
A key factor in Italy`s victory was their disciplined play, committing only 11 errors compared to Poland`s 19. The Olympic champions also outperformed Poland in kills (48 to 37) and blocks (eight to seven), and impressively won the match without registering a single ace, whereas Poland managed one.
Oliver Wrenwick 
Jasper Thornfield