Italian volleyball continues to thrive: the Under 21 Italian team is world champion.

Italy won gold at the Under-21 Women's Volleyball World Championship, which concluded in Surabaya, Indonesia. In the final, the Italian team coached by Gaetano Gagliardi came from behind to defeat Japan in the tie-break. Merit Chinenyenwa Adigwe, the opposite hitter for Imoco Conegliano, delivered a remarkable performance, scoring a staggering 34 points , making the difference in the decisive match. She was named MVP and Best Opposite Player of the tournament.

Italian women's volleyball thus writes a new, important chapter in the glorious history of Italian youth volleyball: thanks to a 3-2 victory (25-22, 22-25, 15-25, 25-19, 15-11) over Japan, the Azzurrini are crowned World Champions. After the silver medal in 2023 and the gold medal in 2021, Italy returns to the top step of the podium at the World Championships. In fact, in the last four editions of the World Championships in their category, their record is simply extraordinary: two silver medals (2019 and 2023) and two gold medals (2021 and 2025). These results once again confirm the competitiveness and consistency of the women's youth national teams. In Surabaya, Indonesia, the Italian team, captained by Linda Manfredini and coached by Nino Gagliardi, shines at the end of a journey that began on August 7th : their record includes victories against the Czech Republic, Algeria, Poland, and Egypt, followed by a one-off defeat against Turkey, followed by victories over Indonesia, China, Brazil, and finally a triumph in the final against Japan, a team that was undefeated in the world championship until the eve of the match. This is the second consecutive international medal for the Under-21 team, following the silver medal at the Under-20 European Championships in Sofia in 2024. A world gold medal earned with eight total victories and a crescendo from match to match, evidenced by an increasingly convincing play. This summer, 2025, the Italian Volleyball Federation's medal haul will be further enriched, already counting five overall podium finishes among the national youth teams, both women's and men's.

ITALY-JAPAN 3-2 (25-22, 22-25, 15-25, 25-19, 15-11) ITALY: Sassolini, Piomboni 6, Marchesini 11, Adigwe 34, Bosso 14, Manfredini 15, Bardaro (L). L. Esposito, Magnabosco 1, E. Esposito 2, Martinelli 1. Ne Ndoye, Martinelli. Coach. Gagliardi. JAPAN: Hanaoka 1, Uemura 18, Ito 1, Fukumura 8, Omori 16, Inoue 10, Uchizawa (L). Kitagawa, Yanagi 8, Watanabe 1, Nishimura 4, Kumagai. Ne Team. Coach Yamaguchi Referees: Gamarra Rivarola Cristina Maria (PAR), Sevor Samara (CAN) Notes: Sets lasted 27', 27', 23', 26', 17'; total time 120'. Italy: 5-a-side, 15-a-side, 20-a-side, 35-a-side. Japan: 2 -a-side, 9-a-side, 8-a-side, 18-a-side.

The Italian World Champions No. 2 NICOLE PIOMBONI Born on November 22, 2005 in Rimini (RN). Height 181 cm. Role: Spiker. Plays for Volley Macerata.

No. 3 DALILA MARCHESINI Born January 3, 2006, in Varese (VA). Height 188 cm. Center position. Plays for Imoco Volley.

No. 5 TERESA MARIA BOSSO Born January 6, 2005 in Turin (TO). Height 182 cm. Role: Spiker. Plays for Mondovi Volley.

No. 6 HELENA SASSOLINI Born January 14, 2005 in Bagno a Ripoli (FI). Height 181 cm. Role: Setter. Plays for Futura Volley.

No. 8 ERIKA ESPOSITO Born on February 10, 2006 in Magenta (MI). Height 186 cm. Role: Spiker. Plays for Volleyball Scandicci.

No. 9 SILENE MARTINELLI Born September 8, 2006, in Barga (LU). Height 190 cm. Center position. Plays for Volley Offanengo

No. 10 ANNA BARDARO Born on April 29, 2005, in Cittadella (PO). Height 179 cm. Role Libero. Plays for Cuneo Granda Volley

No. 11 MERIT CHINENYENWA ADIGWE Born August 24, 2006 in Crema (CR). Height 184 cm. Role Opposite. Plays for Imoco Volley.

No. 12 LISA ESPOSITO Born on September 25, 2005 in Dolo (VE). Height 189 cm. Role: Spiker. Plays for PallavoloScandicci.

No. 14 EMMA MAGNABOSCO Born May 26, 2006 in Verona (VR). Height 181 cm. Role: Setter. Plays for Fusion Team Volley.

No. 15 LINDA MANFREDINI Born on May 14, 2006 in Modena (MO). Height 188 cm. Center position. Plays for Volley Bergamo.

No. 17 ADJI ASTOU NDOYE Born on April 3, 2006 in Rivoli (TO). Height 183 cm. Role: Spiker. Plays for Volleyro' Casal De Pazzi.

THE ITALIAN STAFF: Gaetano Gagliardi (Head Coach); Daniele Sciarrotta (Assistant Coach); Fabio Parazzoli (Assistant Coach-Athletic Trainer); Emanuele Aime (Scout); Virginia Braghieri (Physiotherapist); Lorenzo Maria Maggioni (Doctor); Alessio Di Iorio (Team Manager).