In the second match in Pasig City Obossa (18 points) and Fahr (17 with five blocks) lead the team, 12 points for Antropova
Fifth success in six outings for Italy in the 2026 Nations League. After yesterday’s 3-0 win over the Czech Republic, in the second outing of the second week underway in Pasig City (Philippines) Velasco’s blues beat Serbia 3-2 at the end of a match with two faces: convincing in the first two sets dominated by the blues, stuttering in the rest of the match with empty passes that risked causing the national team to capitulate.
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Compared to yesterday, Velasco confirmed the setter-opposite diagonal formed by Cambi and Obossa while Nervini and Antropova were back on the pitch as spikers. In the center Fahr and Nwakalor, today preferred to Meli. Free Fersino. After dominating the first two sets with disarming ease (the first closed by an ace from Giovannini, the second with an attack from Fahr), Italy goes into a prolonged break in the third set: from 9-9 they suffer a Serbian break of 7-0 which launches Terzic’s team to conquer the 3rd set. But in the 4th set the Italians find themselves again after the empty passage: a serve by Antropova creates the break (two aces take Italy from 12-10 to 14-10) and the advantage reaches 21-16. At that point a new blackout on the blue field with Serbia ready to take advantage of it to bring the match to a tie-break. In the last partial, the Italian team made a new lead up to 10-4 and another empty pass up to 10-10. Velasco, visibly angry at the progress of the match, calls a time-out, replaces Cambi with Scola as director and the Italians manage to make it 3-2. Italy’s top scorer Obossa with 18 points followed by Fahr with 17 (5 blocks). It stops at 12 Antropova. Rest round tomorrow then Saturday match at 10am against the United States, Sunday at 2pm last match of the week against Japan.