News that shook volleyball Italy on the eve of the title semi-finals: Fabio Balaso, libero and captain of Cucine Lube Civitanova and a key member of the national team, suffered a serious injury to his right hand during today's training session at the Eurosuole Forum, according to the club's website.

The collision with a teammate, completely accidental, occurred during technical training and forced the number one back-row player for the "biancorossi" to immediately stop the session. Accompanied by the medical staff, Balaso was transported to the "Villa Pini" clinic in Civitanova for examinations. The examinations revealed a spiral fracture of the fourth metacarpal bone of the right hand, the club specifies.

The situation will be monitored in the coming hours to assess the time and method of recovery, but the participation of Italy's best libero for the start of the series against Perugia is highly questionable. A severe blow for coach Giacomo Medei, who will have to do without his leader on the court at a crucial moment of the season.

Photo: Nikolay Varadinov