The world triumph in Katowice of the men's Italian volleyball led by Fefè De Giorgi is the image that the colleagues in the women's national team will keep in mind in the coming days: now it's up to them, the blue, ready to debut at the World Cup in Holland and Poland against Cameroon.
The tournament starts on Friday 23 September, while Italy will debut the next day (15.00) in Arnhem, where it will play all the matches of the first phase: in the group of Paola Egonu and her companions there will also be Puerto Rico, Belgium, Kenya and Holland.
The participating selections are twenty-four, divided into four groups of six: the first four of each group enter the second phase, divided into two groups.
Here each team will face only the formations not challenged in the first phase: then the first four of both pools will advance to the quarter-finals,
where the knockout stage will begin.
The team of coach Davide Mazzanti - fresh from the silver world championship four years ago against Serbia - comes to the starting line with great expectations, being the reigning European champion and winner of the last Nations League.
Group A is within our reach (but keep an eye on the Netherlands and Belgium): tough opponents (such as Olympic silver Brazil or Japan) would arrive after the first phase.
On the other side of the board, in pool C, Serbia and the United States are two formations as strong as they are stimulating to face.
Europe in office as well as winner of the last Nations League.
Group A is within our reach (but keep an eye on the Netherlands and Belgium): tough opponents (such as Olympic silver Brazil or Japan) would arrive after the first phase.
On the other side of the board, in pool C, Serbia and the United States are two formations as strong as they are stimulating to face.
Europe in office as well as winner of the last Nations League.
Group A is within our reach (but keep an eye on the Netherlands and Belgium): tough opponents (such as Olympic silver Brazil or Japan) would arrive after the first phase.
On the other side of the board, in pool C, Serbia and the United States are two formations as strong as they are stimulating to face.
The star of Italy will still be her, Paola Egonu from Cittadella: the 1998 class, under the Turks of VakifBank, is one of the few players in the world to win a game (almost) alone.
Volleyball fans can only hope to see her face, in a hypothetical Italy-Serbia, her 'beloved rival' Tijana Boskovic (she also plays in Turkey, in EczacÕbaşÕ).
Of the 14 called up by Mazzanti, the youngest is Marina Lubian (22 years old last April), who is still in her second World Cup (as, among others, Egonu and Miriam Sylla).
The veteran of the group is the 35-year-old free Monica 'Moki' De Gennaro, in her third world championship experience and a fixed point in defense.
Four absolute debutants in a World Cup: Alessia Gennari, Alessia Orro, Sara Bonifacio and Eleonora Fersino.
Just Orro, setter of Monza, does not hide the emotion for the imminent debut: I'm really happy to be here.
This summer we worked very hard, we can't wait for the tournament to start. "It will be essential not to take the initial round under the radar, warns the 24-year-old:" We must not underestimate the opponents of the first phase, but start immediately concentrated. " girl in recent years has matured a lot, after a career phase in which she had forged ahead: "Now I feel more mature and capable, I want to help our team to give my best.
Ours is a strong group, but at the same time no one will give us anything, we will have to prove our worth race after race. "All the matches of the blues in the first phase will be broadcast live on Rai 2 and Sky.
