The Netherlands and Belgium were hosts of the much anticipated FIVB Women’s U20 World Championship. From July 9 to 18, the best teams in the World met on the courts in Rotterdam and Kortijk, to decide which the best team was.
I had the pleasure to follow the games on site. As many as 64 matches were played across eight competition days to eventually have Italy emerging as Worlds champion. The team of head coach Massimo Ballini finished in the tournament without a single loss, losing only two sets (in both their matches against Poland) on the way to the title. An outstanding achievement will be remembered and that puts the Italian players in the spotlight of the future of women’s volleyball.
The road to the Gold
Italy started their quest for the Gold medal after having lost their opportunity to become World champions in this age group two years ago when they lost to Japan in a five-set thriller.
However, Italy entered the courts in Kortijk and Rotterdam with a completely new roster. Only the outside hitter Loveth Omoruyi (25/08/2002) took part in the 2019 Championship and remembered the disappointment of losing the Gold just one step before the reaching the ultimate goal.
“Now, we are thinking about tomorrow - we are ready, and we will give our best to grab the
