The reigning champions relied on a combined 37 points from opposite hitters Egonu and Antropova to counteract the 26 points scored by Türkiye`s Melissa Vargas.
Italy need to win two sets in their last Preliminary Phase match to secure the top spot for the Finals
The current Volleyball Nations League champions, Italy, faced a significant challenge from Türkiye on Saturday but persevered to maintain their perfect record in the 2025 tournament, keeping their title defense aspirations alive. The highly anticipated clash between the European powerhouses in Apeldoorn resulted in a thrilling five-set victory for Italy (25-19, 21-25, 21-25, 25-20, 15-11), marking their 11th win in 11 matches in the VNL 2025.
With only one preliminary match remaining, Italy is on the verge of securing the top seed for the VNL Finals in Łódź, Poland (July 23-27). Boasting an unmatched 11 wins and 30 points, they are the sole undefeated team. They need just two sets against the Netherlands on Sunday to earn the crucial point needed to guarantee finishing ahead of Brazil (ten wins, 28 points before the final day). Türkiye is currently fifth with eight wins and 23 points, potentially moving up one spot to fourth if they overtake Poland (eight wins, 24 points) on Sunday.
The Italian opposite pairing of Paola Egonu and Ekaterina Antropova proved decisive, contributing a combined 37 points to the victory. Antropova was particularly effective coming off the bench, scoring 20 points (18 kills, 2 blocks), while Egonu added 17 (14 kills, 2 blocks, 1 ace). Middle blocker Sarah Fahr also impressed with 15 points (11 kills, 3 blocks, 1 ace).
Sarah Fahr commented, “It was a really tough match, and it feels amazing that we managed to win it. Playing Türkiye is always very difficult. The atmosphere was amazing, and it was great to feel the support for both teams. I’m happy with the result and with how we played. The next match will be the final test before the Finals, and we have to continue pushing because every match is difficult and everyone wants to win against us.”
Despite Italy`s strong offensive output, the highest scorer in the match was Türkiye`s star opposite, Melissa Vargas. After a quiet first set where she scored just two points, Vargas finished with an impressive match-high 26 points (21 kills, 3 blocks, 2 aces).
Other Turkish players also reached double-digit scores: outside hitters Ebrar Karakurt (15 points) and Yaprak Erkek (12 points), and middle blocker Zehra Güneş (10 points).
Zehra Güneş commented on the match: “It was a great match, and I enjoyed a lot being on the court. I thought that both teams fought until the end, and perhaps it was a little more difficult for us because we had less time to recover and prepare to face such a strong opponent. But I still think we did a really good job today, and we have time to keep improving before the Finals.”
Earlier in Apeldoorn, the Netherlands also won a five-set match, defeating Czechia 3-2 (25-23, 23-25, 14-25, 25-19, 15-10) to keep their hopes of securing the final spot in the Finals alive.
The schedule for Sunday in Apeldoorn includes Czechia vs. Belgium at 12:30 local time (10:30 GMT), followed by the Netherlands vs. Italy at 16:00 (14:00 GMT), and concluding with Serbia vs. Türkiye at 20:00 (18:00 GMT).
Jasper Thornfield 
Oliver Wrenwick