Italy men's volleyball records first Nations League win after earlier loss to France

In Ottawa, the Italian men’s national volleyball team suffered its opening Nations League 2026 defeat, falling 3‑2 to France (25‑19, 27‑29, 25‑23, 23‑25, 14‑16). The match featured the international debut of Pardo Mati and contributions from Paolo Porro, Kamil Rychlicki, Mattia Bottolo, Luca Porro, Giovanni Sanguinetti and libero Gabriele Laurenzano. Coach Ferdinando De Giorgi guided the side through a tightly contested five‑set battle.

Two days later Italy rebounded, beating Germany 3‑1 (25‑20, 20‑25, 25‑21, 33‑31) to claim its first Nations League victory. Alessandro Bovolenta, who entered in the second set, was the top scorer for Italy with 15 points. The win was described by Bovolenta as “a great feeling to play and win,” while the team looks ahead to challenging matches against Turkey and the United States.

The squad will continue its VNL campaign with upcoming fixtures against Turkey and the United States in the same pool.