An unforgettable night for Catania and Italian volleyball as a whole as the Italian women's team, coached by Davide Mazzanti, succeeded in qualifying for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.
Cheered on in a packed PalaCatania (4,500 spectators), Italy closed the three-day qualification tournament in Sicily by smashing Holland in a three-set win (25-23, 25-17, 25-22) after having already beaten Belgium, what's more, both these matches were Erreà derbys.
The Tokyo 2020 Olympics will be the sixth consecutive Games for the Italian women's team after their participation in Sidney 2000, Athens 2004, Beijing 2008, London 2012 and Rio de Janeiro 2016.
The other qualifying pools awarded a ticket to Japan to: Brazil, China, Russia, Serbia and United States.
Pool F results and table, 2 August: Belgium vs Netherlands 0-3 (20-25, 15-25, 22-25), Italy vs Kenya 3-0 (25-17, 25-10, 25-14). 3 August: Netherlands vs Kenya 3-0 (25-17, 25-10, 25-10), Italy vs Belgium 3-0 (25-17, 25-16, 25-16). 4 August: Kenya vs Belgium 0-3 (15-25, 14-25, 7-25), Italy vs Netherlands 3-0 (25-23, 25-17, 25-22). Table: Italy 3W 9p, Holland 2W 6p, Belgium 1W 3p, Kenya 0V 0p.
So ahead of the men's qualification tournament in Bari, the Italian women's team and FIPAV (Italian Volleyball Federation) can celebrate this fantastic result. Well done girls!!!
photo credits Fipav
