Italy advances to Volleyball Nations League semifinals after sweeping Netherlands

Italy secured a spot in the semifinals of the 2026 FIVB Women's Volleyball Nations League by decisively defeating the Netherlands in the quarterfinals. The Italian team achieved a clean sweep, winning the match 3-0.

The victory propels Italy into the next stage of the tournament, where they are set to compete against the winner of another quarterfinal match between Brazil and Japan. That game was scheduled to take place later the same day.

The quarterfinal clash between Italy and the Netherlands was held at the East Asian Games Dome in China, the host nation for this stage of the competition. The match duration was 80 minutes, with Italy dominating the sets with scores of 25-21, 25-16, and 25-16.

Key players for Italy included Sylla, Danesi, Antropova, Nervini, Fahr, and Orro, with Fersino, Cambi, Spirito, Egonu, Giovannini, and Omoruyi also featuring. The Netherlands team consisted of Van Aalen, Jansen, Baijens, Dambrink, Knollema, Stuut, Hester Jasper, Bongaerts, Van De Vosse, Marrit Jasper, Vos, and Setler. The referees for the match were Yuliya Akulova from Kazakhstan and Jae-Hyo Choi from South Korea.