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Italy Rally Past Slovenia to Win 3-1 in Ljubljana

The comeback victory improves Italy’s standing and strengthens its bid for a VNL Final Eight spot ahead of the tournament’s final stage in Japan.

Overview

  • Italy overturned a first-set deficit to beat Slovenia 3-1 at Stožice Arena, winning 23-25, 25-19, 25-18, 25-20 in the Pool 6 finale.
  • The win, secured on Sunday, was Italy’s fifth Pool victory and lifted the team to sixth place in the overall VNL standings, tightening the race for the eight Finals berths.
  • Daniele Lavia made his 150th senior appearance in the match and coach Ferdinando De Giorgi kept the same starting lineup that had beaten Brazil two days earlier.
  • The result continued a positive run that began with a 3-1 win over Brazil and ends a mixed stretch that included losses to Bulgaria and Ukraine; Italy will return home, regroup in Cavalese from July 2, and play the next VNL stage in Kansai, Japan from July 15–19.
  • Beyond points, the victory lifts team morale and gives younger players more top-level minutes, but qualification remains uncertain because China is already pre-qualified as host and many teams sit close together in the standings.