Italian NT 2018

    Quote from Canter

    Italian team has been generally a good team however they are really at their best at this WCH as the whole team..this could be a right time and right tournament for them which maybe they wont have/catch for a long time. i wish them good luck at third round


    Italy will dominate the women's volleyball scene for the next 10 years at least. This NT is already the youngest of this WCH and there are many other young prospects ready to come out from the youth generations. An explosive mix of talent, athletism and height that Italy never had before.

    the young of italy could dominate volley world for sure however what i mean is different than that : right time ,right/best shape and the opponents not playing as effective as you...all of them includes kind of chance other than having "the talent"

    Quote from Toguttt

    Italy will dominate the women's volleyball scene for the next 10 years at least.

    How do you know that? I've heard it like 5 years ago when people were saying Italy would dominate volleyball cause they have Diouf, Malinov, Chirichella, Orro, Sylla. Before that, Folie, Camera, Signorille were considered as very talented player and where are they now?

    My point is, talent is not the only factor which determine the future of any volleyball volleyball player. It's about good/bad choices, coaches, mentality and many other things..

    Quote from Phil

    How do you know that? I've heard it like 5 years ago when people were saying Italy would dominate volleyball cause they have Diouf, Malinov, Chirichella, Orro, Sylla. Before that, Folie, Camera, Signorille were considered as very talented player and where are they now?

    My point is, talent is not the only factor which determine the future of any volleyball volleyball player. It's about good/bad choices, coaches, mentality and many other things..

    Egonu has been getting so many balls at such an early age...a possible injury could screw it up and other possibilites...same for Boşkovic and Zhu

    Quote from Phil

    How do you know that? I've heard it like 5 years ago when people were saying Italy would dominate volleyball cause they have Diouf, Malinov, Chirichella, Orro, Sylla. Before that, Folie, Camera, Signorille were considered as very talented player and where are they now?

    My point is, talent is not the only factor which determine the future of any volleyball volleyball player. It's about good/bad choices, coaches, mentality and many other things..


    Trust me, the new generations born between 1996 and 2002 are way better than the ones before. Egonu and Pietrini will be the two stars, but in every position Italy will have excellent quality and power also thanks to many black players born in Italy in recent years.

    Not only that they have young amazing talents but they have amazing league, one of the strongest in World. (For me number 1)

    Italians youngsters will not sit on the bench like Turkish ones.

    Look at Pietrini, and other young players. She signed for Scandicci but She will play in Club Italia like Egonu. This is very important for their future.

    Quote from crovolley

    Not only that they have young amazing talents but they have amazing league, one of the strongest in World. (For me number 1)

    Italians youngsters will not sit on the bench like Turkish ones.

    Look at Pietrini, and other young players. She signed for Scandicci but She will play in Club Italia like Egonu. This is very important for their future.

    you're right at this point...this helps the Italian young players improve a lot playing in the Serie A1...lets look at the starting players in the Turkish lineup : Meliha-Hande havent been the starters in their teams so far..Zehra too...even setter Cansu...no need to talk about the young talents Ebrar,Derya,Tuğba etc..

    Quote from Toguttt

    Trust me, the new generations born between 1996 and 2002 are way better than the ones before. Egonu and Pietrini will be the two stars, but in every position Italy will have excellent quality and power also thanks to many black players born in Italy in recent years.

    I agree. Italy is U18 World Champion twice in a row and European U19 Champion, with many absolutely gifted players virtually in any position: Rachele Morello is a very promising setter, like Francesca Scola. There is plenty of OH like Terry Enweonwu (Paola Egonu's cousin), Valeria Battista, Loveth Omoruyi (she's just 16 but absolutely sensational, with many matches in A2 league last year), Alessia Populini (great personality, a really tough girl), powerful and tall MB like Beatrice Berti and Alexandra Botezat (both playing in Busto), I guess on the same level than Lubian and Fahr but a little older (the former is 22, the latter is 20), very promising libero like Chiara De Bortoli, Sara Panetoni and Elisa Tonello. And I didn't mention players like Vittoria Piani, a great opposite in my opinion (1998), Jennifer Boldini (a very classy setter, 1999, now playing in A2, last year in Bergamo), Alice Tanase (2000, 2 matches and 26 points as OH in A2 league this year), Jessica Joly (another strong OH, 2000). The list could be much longer but I just don’t want to bother you

    Mazzanti was asked how it was to have is wife in the team, and as Egonu sub.

    He said interesting things about the necessity to have a clear hierarchy in the team (among titular-subs), and to avoid dualism.

    For Davide, having in the same role two players that want to be protagonist will probably lead to problems, so it's important that the subs is someone that know how to be a 'non-protagonist', that know how to stay on the bench.


    That brought me to two thoughts: first, Serena was amazing. She was always smiling and supporting, and I guess it wasn't that easy being the only 'veteran' on the bench. And I'm sure it was hard to leave their daughter home in order to be a 'non-protagonist'.


    Second, I wonder if this comment is to be referred to Diouf situation, and in which way.

    I've always thought she was the one to let the NT go this year (and I suspected it was because she didn't like to be Egonu's shadows – I don't think Valentina is a good 'non-protagonist'), and I must say I didn't respect her that much for this choice. I mean, I can understand the previous disappointments, but if at her age she prefer NOT to be in the NT instead of being in the NT bench... well, I expect a bit more sacrifice spirit.

    Now, though, I'm wondering if the decision came directly from the staff, like a 'hey Vale, we don't think you can be a good 'non-protagonist' and you certainly won't be a protagonist, so thank you but bye.'


    [Remember than in the first 'Mazzanti-summer', she was included in the picture, but for back-ache problem she couldn't join the NT.]


    I actually think she could be a good replace for Paola, but if she risks to ruin the team spirit... than I don't want her.

    Ps about the youngs, I think they're very, very, promising, but I think it's important to remind that not always the best youngs become the best players.


    Among the winners of the U20 WCh, for example, we only have Cate Bosetti (MVP) in the NT, and we had Diouf in the past. All the others are practically vanished...

    And among the winners of the first U18 WCh, I think we only have Egonu and Lubian (plus Orro).


    Still, if we'll kept winning juniores WCh/ECh :P, even having 2-3 players by each teams ready for the NT may be enough to stay very competitive ;)

    And of course the Club Italia can help a lot!

    I think having one player from each junior generation that can play in the senior team is better than winning medals in junior WCh/ECh. And so far Italy has 2-3 very good players from each generation that will be assets to senior team. This is always better than having one golden generation since it becomes problematic when they all retires as in the case of Brasil.

    I agree. I do think that the success from junior generation are the quantity of players that can be part of a senior NT. The medals arent the only measure.


    For example, Italian 96-97 generation got the silver in their ECH. They lost it against Poland in a 5th set thriller match. Then they didnt have a good U18 WCH. If Im not wrong, they finished 10th or 11th. I just remember they lost a classification match against Turkey.

    And in their U20 WCH, they got the bronze medal. But they lacked a key player: Ofelia Malinov. She was already the main setter from Italian senior NT, playing her first Grand Prix that year.


    This generation is the one which has given more players. We can see Malinov and Danesi in the current starting six. Cambi on the bench. And then good players who could be add in the NT as Bonifacio and Anastasia Guerra. Nicoletti has also been in a wide roster.

    Sorry, I didn't explain myself well: obviously I agree with you, and that was actually the point of my post*: what matters the most about the juniores is that they provide reliable players for the NT, and if we'll manage to keep this rythm of 2-3 players every couple of years we'll have a wonderful future ahed.

    Still, being italian, I wouldn't mind if we'll keep winning as well :P


    *actually I put it in a different prospective: I was pointing out that winning junior tournaments doesn't necessary mean having tons of new NT-level-talents, but of course it also works on the other way: NOT winning doesn't mean not having few good prospective ;)

    what i noticed in the ITA campaign at this WCh was how mazzanti used the same starters for almost all matches. i know pietrini came in for sylla in the (meaningless) match against SRB, but other than that, mostly only cambi came in to serve for malinov. i was wondering why he didn't use ortolani more -- not only as backup for egonu but also as a substitute passing OH. it can't be easy for ortolani to just be on the bench, or for the others. i don't think he used lubian or fahr much either -- danesi and CC played pretty much all the time. (and nwakalor came in a little bit for sylla, i think, or was it bosetti?).


    at this point, is cate b. even an option to return to the NT? similar to gennari, diouf, tirozzi, orro, aren't they all done by now?


    i'd think guerra however is still an option for the future.

    catching one or two senior-level talents with a generation matters most rather than winning a title..also,having/catching a few talents with a generation at the same time is kinda bonus ..lets remember the 94-95 golden generation of Turkey which had won both ECH and WCH etc..however any players didnt show up from that "golden" generation except Kübra Akman Who didnt play at the WCH 18..You know the setter Çağla Akın from the same generation etc..so in this sense..having/finding talents is important but developing them and making better players and keeping them ready for an NT is also important if not more important

    ossubtus, Cate was actually in the group this summer, but of course she wasn't in shape, and she was titular the summer before alongside with Lucia, so I don't think there are big doubts about her, unless someone else step ups (like Mingardi, or – I doubt – Guerra...). And she's Lucia more obvious sostitute, with Gennari out of the 'summer games' and Degradi probably not as good as her.


    It's true he didn't made many changes (I'll add to your list that vs Cuba we played with Egonu OH and Ortolani opp, and Cambi played most of the match vs Russia), but I think it was a precise choice to bet everything on the titulars, partially because they often did good, partially because of course there is a difference between expert players like Chirichella or Danesi and Lubian or Fahr, and for them the WCh was meant to be more like an experience. May be in the future that – the clear difference between bench and court – will change (and remember that we didn't missed only Folie, but actually also Melandri, who should have been there instead of Fahr). He still will want to have a hierarchy, but may be he'll be more willing to subs who's underperforming

    Caterina Bosetti will still be part of the NT group, she and her sister Lucia are at the moment the only two Italian OH who have good defensive skills (also Gennari, but due her very fragile knee she will hardly take part to a full summer with the NT in the future).

    At this WCH Lucia basically didn't have any substitute and this was a very big risk, if she got injured or sick it would have been a tragedy against top teams as we didn't have anyone on the bench with the same skills who could replace her. Pietrini, Sylla and Nwakalor are all offensive OH with poor reception skills, same as Guerra, Mingardi and Enweonwu. That's why we still need Caterina at least as a backup in the future. Hopefully also Populini will be soon ready to join the NT, she's a very promising all around OH.

    Kk15 today there was the league presentation and all the girls were invited. Colantoni asked Serena how she felt during the WCH. She said she perfectly knew her role , that Mazzanti spoke to her and made it clear. She accepted knowing that she wouldn't have played that much but she tried to ghelp the girls as much as she can... she added that she did very little as the youngsters did very well on their own.

    Nice to know, but I had no doubt about Serena knowing perfectly her role as 'expert non-protagonist', and I was also sure Mazzanti never hide it to her. She's definitely not the person I would expect to be annoyed not to play if that's what the NT needs from her, especially if that means Egonu is playing!