VNL 2025: Italy Sweep China to Maintain Perfect Record

On June 22, in the final match of Week 2 Pool 5 in Hong Kong, Italy defeated China in straight sets (25-21, 32-30, 25-11) to claim their eighth consecutive victory and maintain their unbeaten run in the tournament. Meanwhile, China’s record dropped to 5-3.

Italy’s Dominating Performance

Post-match, our journalist interviewed Paola Egonu, the top scorer of the match, who tallied 21 points for Italy in just three sets. Egonu described the game as amazing and exciting, especially with the gym packed with fans. She also expressed her happiness with the team’s performance, noting their perfect 4 wins out of 4 matches this week.

Linda Nwakalor also shared her thoughts on the match, calling it a tough battle against a strong Chinese team. She highlighted how the team pushed hard from the very first point to the end, particularly during the grueling second set, which Italy narrowly won 32-30. Despite the challenges, she was pleased that Italy managed to secure the victory.

Anna Danesi reflected on the team’s achievements over the week, emphasizing the importance of contributions from players off the bench. She praised their ability to adapt to the Asian style of play and credited the strong team atmosphere for their success. Danesi noted that although the team had been working together for only a month, their unity and effort led to impressive results.

China Learning From the Best

Chinese head coach Zhao Yong acknowledged Italy’s strength, calling them the Olympic champions and the World’s #1 ranked team. He said that the Chinese team aimed to learn from this match but expressed disappointment over missed opportunities to win the first two sets. Despite the loss, Zhao thanked the Hong Kong fans for their support, which he said helped the team push through difficult moments.

Controversial Incident in Set Three

A controversial moment occurred in the middle of the third set when Paola Egonu, after being blocked by Chinese outside hitter Dong Yuhan, gestured for Dong to come closer and commented on her foot placement near the centerline. Egonu reportedly told Dong to be more careful as stepping into the opposing court could be dangerous. The referee intervened and issued Egonu a yellow card.

The incident sparked significant debate online, with many netizens criticizing Egonu on her personal Instagram page, accusing her of being rude and demanding an apology to Dong. In response, Egonu clarified her intentions via an Instagram story, stating:

“ALL I WANTED TO TELL THE PLAYER IS TO BE CAREFUL BECAUSE SHE STEPPED IN MY COURT AND THAT IT COULD BE DANGEROUS FOR BOTH! So you can see me as a bully, even though I wanted to help since that’s how her teammate got injured!! I don’t care about being blocked in that action because that’s volleyball.”

Looking Ahead

Italy will carry their unbeaten record into Week 3, when they will travel to Apeldoorn, Netherlands, for Pool 7, while China will head to Arlington, USA, for Pool 8. Both teams will look to continue their campaigns with strong performances as the tournament progresses.

Video Interviews of the Matchday

(Featured image source: Volleyball World)

(Reported by Boris CHUNG Bok Man)