Exciting world women's volleyball

At the end of the FIVB Nations League (VNL) 2025, world women's volleyball witnessed a clear shift in power as old powers such as the US, Germany, and Serbia gradually lost steam.

The Italian women's team celebrates winning the VNL championship - Photo: REUTERS

And the Italian team stands out with the feat of winning 29 consecutive matches, thereby winning the VNL championship for two consecutive years.

Flexible competition system

Traditional powers like the US and China are running out of steam in the race for the top spot. Meanwhile, European teams like Italy, Poland, and Türkiye are making strong breakthroughs and reshaping the global women's volleyball landscape. The 2025 VNL is not only a pre-World Championship competition but also a big test for the ambitions of the teams in the new cycle after the 2024 Paris Olympics.

In the tournament that just ended in Poland, the Italian women's team excellently won the championship after a convincing 3-1 victory over Brazil in the final. This is the third time in just 4 years that Italy has won the Nations League, affirming their superiority in strength and form in the current period.

This achievement is even more impressive when they maintain a 29-match unbeaten streak since mid-2024. This includes convincing victories against top opponents such as Türkiye, Poland and Japan.

The Italian women's team's rise to prominence has been largely attributed to coach Giovanni Guidetti - the chief architect of this transformation. Having led Türkiye to great success, when taking over the Italian women's team, coach Guidetti built a flexible playing system that does not depend on stars.

Despite the presence of the famous hitter Paola Egonu, the current Italian team is organized around collective axes. The highlight is the strong rise of Antropova - a 2m02 athlete and one of the most complete hitters in the world . Next is the stability of setter Orro, libero De Gennaro, and tall blockers like Danesi or Fahr.

In addition to personnel, the Italian women's team also inherited a solid foundation from the club system. The Serie A1 national championship is considered one of the highest quality tournaments on the planet, where international stars and young domestic athletes compete equally. This is a fertile ground to produce future pillars for the Italian team. Many hitters like Sylla, Lubian or young athletes like Nervini, Consolini... have grown up in that environment.

Italian women's volleyball team at NVL 2025 - Photo: REUTERS

The great powers are out of breath.

On the contrary, the once dominant forces like the US and China are facing a crisis in personnel and tactics. The US women's team after the 2024 Olympics has said goodbye to almost all of the golden generation that won the Tokyo Olympics (in 2021). The absence of veterans like Larson and Akinradewo makes their fast-paced playing style easy to predict.

The next generation is not yet capable of shouldering the responsibility in major tournaments, leading to the US being eliminated early in the group stage of VNL 2025. Meanwhile, China is still struggling in the process of rebuilding, especially after changing the coach and promoting a series of young faces without much international competition experience.

Meanwhile, Türkiye and Poland are rising strongly. Türkiye has maintained stability with key players such as Vargas, Gunes, Ebrar Karakurt and a playing style that focuses on strength and speed. Poland, under the guidance of coach Stefano Lavarini, is showing remarkable progress thanks to a well-balanced young squad. Magdalena Stysiak, Lukasik, Korneluk are formidable strikers, helping Poland win the bronze medal at VNL 2025 after an impressive victory over Japan.

Japan is the only Asian team that can still compete with the top group. Although they do not have outstanding height, their flexible playing style, technique and tight defense system always make the Japanese women's team a tough opponent. However, the limitation in the attack is still a headache if they want to aim for the championship.

The 2025 Women's Volleyball World Cup, held in Thailand at the end of August, will bring together 32 of the world's strongest teams. With the current situation, the race for the title promises to be extremely fierce. Italy is emerging as the leading candidate.

Brazil, Poland, Türkiye, and Japan all have reasons to believe in a miracle. As for the teams that once dominated the world, such as the US, China, and Serbia, they will have to work hard if they don't want to be left behind in the new race.

HUY DANG

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/soi-dong-bong-chuyen-nu-the-gioi-20250729101142178.htm