The Italian women's national sitting volleyball team celebrate their first historic World Championships qualification

Jeju Island (South Korea) is where Italy's women’s national sitting volleyball had cause to celebrate, after having qualified for the 2018 World Championships being played in the Netherlands from 15 to 22 July. The decisive moment for Amauri Ribeiro's girls came with their second victory against the home team, South Korea, beaten convincingly 3-0 (25-12, 25-22, 25-7). The final whistle saw an eruption of joy from the Italian players, because of the historic significance of this qualification, not just for the girls, but more in general for the Italian sitting volleyball movement, in which the Italian Volleyball Federation is investing significantly. Just as it was in the first encounter against the South Koreans, Italy controlled the game throughout, only risking something in the second set. The third set was a one-sided affair and Italy went through to qualify for a World Championship final for the first time in its history.