The Italian national team achieved a second consecutive victory in the 2026 Volleyball Nations League, after defeating Turkey 3:0 (29:27, 25:14, 25:20) in a match from the tournament in Ottawa.
The first set was the most contested, in which the Italians snatched victory after 38 minutes of play and 29:27. After that, Ferdinando De Giorgi's team imposed complete dominance and effortlessly won the next two sets with 25:14 and 25:20.
Francesco Sani was the top scorer for Italy with 16 points, including 5 blocks, while Mattia Bottolo and Alessandro Bovolenta added 11 points each.
For Turkey, Adis Lagumdžija scored the most points – 9, while Bayram and Bedirhan finished with 8 points each.
Statistics show a clear superiority of Italy in all key elements of the game. The 'Azzurri' finished with more points from attack (40 vs 37), blocks (8 vs 6), and serves (3 vs 2). Particularly indicative was the difference in points after opponent errors, where the Italians won 28 vs 16 for Turkey. The total number of points scored is also telling – 79 for Italy vs 61 for the Turks. The Italian team also had an advantage in defense with 53 digs vs 47, while Turkey only excelled in reception (69 vs 49) and setting (97 vs 78), but failed to convert this advantage into points.
Following the success, Italy climbed to fifth place in the provisional standings of the Volleyball Nations League with two wins from two matches, while Turkey occupies 13th position. The victory also solidified the world champions' leading position at the top of the FIVB world ranking with a total of 381.73 points, ahead of Poland (374.82). The Turkish national team remains in 13th place in the world ranking with 239.05 points.
The success confirmed the good form of the 'Azzurri', who will conclude their participation in the first week of the tournament with a match against the USA.

photo:volleyballworld.com