Italy wins silver in the Under 19 European Volleyball Championship - Men!

Gyor in Hungary was the setting for a match which ended with the Italian team winning a silver medal in the Under 19 European Volleyball Championship - Men, beaten 3-2 (25-19, 14-25, 25-17, 19-25, 15-13) by the Czech Republic.Mario Barbiero's lads finished runners up in this European tournament, winning a second place that equals their achievement of two years ago in Sakarya. For the Italian national team this was the sixth medal won in a European U19 tournament. The young Italian team's tournament progress was only halted in the final against the Czech Republic, at the end of a hard-fought competition that highlighted many of its qualities. During the course of the tournament Lavia and his team mates won five matches and lost two, managing on many occasions to play some excellent volleyball as well as display some undoubted personal qualities. The Italian team will this year be able to add still further to its experiences, with their presence at the World U19 Championship (from 18 to 27 August in Bahrain) and the EYOF (from 23 to 30 July in Gyor). This second place draws to close a month in which Italy has claimed its rightful place at the highest levels of European youth volleyball. The silver medal stands alongside the second place of the U18 Italian women's team won in Holland.