Antropova Powers Italy to VNL Bronze Medal
Italy bounced back from their semifinal loss to beat China 3-1, led by Ekaterina Antropova's 26 points, and claim VNL bronze.
Italy claimed bronze at the Women's Volleyball Nations League 2026, beating hosts China 3-1 (25-16, 23-25, 25-22, 25-13) in Macao on July 26, 2026, a day after their semifinal loss to Brazil.
Italy dominated the first set on a 13-3 run, closed out by an ace from Myriam Sylla. China leveled the match in the second set, powered by three aces from Zhuang Yushan. Italy took a tight third set 25-22, then controlled the fourth from start to finish, with Ekaterina Antropova hitting the match-winning point.
Antropova finished with a match-high 26 points, including four aces and a block. Sarah Fahr added 13 points and Stella Nervini scored 11. Italy outhit China 65-46 in successful attacks.
Antropova reflected on the win: "Winning the third place is absolutely amazing and I am really happy we could do that." She acknowledged it wasn't easy to bounce back after the previous day's semifinal loss.
For China, Zhuang led all scorers with 14 points, including three aces, while Wang Yuanyuan and Gong Xiangyu each added 10.
This is Italy's first VNL bronze medal, adding to their three previous gold medals. The tournament concludes with Sunday's gold medal final between Türkiye and Brazil.
