Rome, July 17, 2022 – Gold for I.talia of women’s volleyball. Paola Egonu and companions conquer the Nations Leaguebeating the Brazil for 3-0 (25-23, 25-22, 25-22) in the final in Ankara. the blues have proven to be the strongest team in the competition with a streak of 11 games won consecutively in this edition. Mazzanti’s girls thus climbed to the top step of the podium, interrupting the reign of the United States, winner of the 2018, 2019 and 2021 editions.
First set
The grand final of the tournament sees the Brazil in front ofItalia for their 81st meeting in their history. Brazil in the third consecutive final of the tournament, while for the blue it is the first final. The blue formation begins the final in the best possible way, with clear ideas so as to extend from the very beginning in a clear way. The blue suffer a slight return of the Brazilians, but it is Weather in Pietrini who, thanks to his attacks and his walls, manages to keep the opponents away, bringing the blue advantage to 16-10. On the new attempt to return the opponents, the blue girls raise the quality of the defense and respond blow for blow even if making some mistakes too many in the service. Egonu redeems the error in serving with a devastating dunk in the next game to bring Italy to 22-17. After that comes the first wall of Brazil and the tear is suddenly mended to only two points of length on the score 23-21 for Italy. In a heart-pounding moment Danes manages to crush a mistake by Brazil and gives Italy the set point which ends with a serving gift from the Brazilians. Italy wins the first set 25-23.
Second set
At the start of the second set, Italy relies on Bosetti ed Egonu which manage to detach Brazil in the score. And it is Bosetti himself after yet another great defense of his teammates to bring the blue to 12-9 with a sweet left-handed touch near the net. The difference is in the numbers and the attack does it with 55% against 37% of the Brazilians. It is in fact the errors in attack of the green-gold girls that allow the blue girls to fly on 16-10. Italy finds the service thanks to a sensational Caterina Bosetti and advances on 19-13. Brazilians try to stay engaged by relying on Gabi thanks to a wall and a power dunk, she who had started the set badly. Subsequently, it also puts you Carol and Brazil is back on track on 22-20 Italy. At that point the blue reaction is immediate: the opening of Orr gives to Paola Egonu the dunk for the Italy set point and is Malinov to anticipate the attack in the next action and give our girls the second set with the partial of 25-22.
Third set
Brazil tries to shuffle the cards on the pitch enough to be able to place the first double advantage of the game on 5-3. You crush it Chirichella and yet another attack by Egonu equalized the set at 7-7 of the third set. The two teams respond point by point up to 12-12, when, however, the walls of Egonu and Danesi followed by the powerful dunk of Bosetti allow the blue to acquire three points of advantage. Brazil is unable to stop the bleeding in front of an irrepressible Italy, so much so that Bosetti takes the chair and continues to hammer the opponent’s defense. Brazil never dies and finds the strength, albeit an archaic way to go back down from -4 to -1. In the final rush, Egonu once again takes the chair to score a double wall and an impregnable diagonal for the 23-21 Italy. And it is she who gives the match point at 24-21 while Chirichella closes the match with a steel wall on the Brazilian attack that is worth the gold of the tournament.