USA stopped Italy in Pasig in the VNL 2026 derby without losing a set.
The United States women's volleyball national team achieved one of the most convincing victories of the second week of the Volleyball Nations League 2026, defeating Italy 3:0 in Pool 5 played in Pasig City in the Philippines. The official Volleyball World website lists the match under the date of June 20, 2026, and gives the set scores as 27:25, 25:20 and 25:16, confirming that the American team completed the job without losing a set against the national team that USA Volleyball described in its report as the top-ranked in the world. The result resonated especially strongly because it was a rematch of the final of the Olympic Games in Paris 2024, in which Italy had then beaten the USA and won its first Olympic gold in women's volleyball. This time, the balance of power on the court was different: the USA withstood the pressure of the tense finish of the first set, and then, as the match continued, controlled the rhythm of the game with increasing assurance.
The match in Pasig had broader significance than a single result in the preliminary phase. According to USA Volleyball's report, the American national team reached its fifth consecutive VNL triumph and its sixth victory in seven appearances at that point of the competition, while Italy suffered a defeat that ended its continuity against the USA in head-to-head encounters in this competition. The same source states that it was the fifth American victory in nine VNL meetings with Italy so far and that Italy's run of four consecutive victories in that head-to-head sequence was stopped. In a season in which the standings for the final tournament are built through every match and every set won, such an outcome carries both table and psychological weight. The USA showed that, after an earlier defeat to Canada in the first week, it had stabilized in all elements of the game.
The first set opened a match of high tension
The most important part of the encounter was the first set, because it was precisely there that Italy had the most room to take control. According to USA Volleyball's official report, the USA took an early 7:3 lead and forced Italy into a quick reaction from the bench, but the Italian team did not allow the match to immediately move in one direction. Italy tied the score at 12:12 with a run of points, and then, in the closing phase of the set, threatened a comeback when, with several blocks and better defense, it created an opportunity to take the lead. The American national team survived its opponents' set point, stabilized reception and, through Stephanie Samedy, closed the set at 27:25. That ending proved decisive because it took momentum away from Italy in the only set in which it could realistically have turned the match in its favor.
After winning the first set, the USA gained additional confidence in serving and blocking. In the second set, Italy briefly took the advantage, but the American team, with a run in the middle of the set, once again built the rhythm that suited its system of play. USA Volleyball states that the second set was marked by the difference in blocking, because Italy did not record a block in that set, while the USA further pressured the opposing attack through the middle of the net. The end of the set finished with an American score of 25:20, and the 2:0 result created pressure under which Italy was unable to recover in the third set. In the third set, the USA immediately took a 6:1 lead, and Italy only briefly drew closer before the American team finished the match at 25:16.
Serve and block as the foundation of American control
The statistical picture of the match explains why the final 3:0 was convincing, even though the first set was extremely tense. According to data published by USA Volleyball, the USA had a 49:41 advantage in attacking points and 9:7 in blocks, with seven of the nine American blocks coming in the final two sets. Italy had more aces, 4:2, but the American serve had a more important tactical effect because, according to the report of the American federation, it kept the Italian game away from the ideal position for organizing the attack. This reduced the quality of the first tempo and opened space for the American block and defense. Another key difference was in errors: Italy committed 17, while the USA committed only nine, which in a match without a fifth set represented a major structural advantage.
American head coach Erik Sullivan, in a statement for USA Volleyball, particularly emphasized the effect of the opening shot and the team's ability to convert open opportunities after a good serve. His assessment describes the course of the match well, because the USA did not win only through attacking power, but also through a clear tactical plan that made Italy's transition more difficult. The Italian national team traditionally relies on a high level of organization, stable reception and varied attacking solutions, but in Pasig it often had to play from situations in which its attackers did not have an ideal angle or the full speed of the action. When the American block and the smaller number of direct errors are added to that, it became clear why the match, after the first set, increasingly moved to the USA's side. Such a performance is especially important for a national team that often rotates its roster in the VNL and at the same time tries to maintain results.
Stephanie Samedy led the attack without an error
The standout individual in the American victory was Stephanie Samedy, whom USA Volleyball singled out as the team's leading attacker with 12 attacking points. According to the same report, Samedy finished the match with a 60 percent attacking efficiency, without an error in 20 attempts, which is an exceptionally important figure against a national team known for block and defensive discipline. Her points in the closing moments of the first set were key to taking control of the match, and the continuation of the encounter confirmed that the American team did not depend on only one solution. Saige Ka'aha'aina-Torres directed an attack that, according to USA Volleyball's data, had an overall efficiency of .398, which speaks to good distribution of balls and quality decision-making in the organization of play.
Madi Kubik-Banks also made an important contribution, scoring 11 points according to the American federation, including 10 attacking points and one block, and leading all players with 12 successful receptions. Middle blockers Asjia O'Neal and Molly McCage each added nine points, while McCage had four blocks, the most in the match, along with three attacking points and both American aces. Simone Lee-Wank delivered eight attacking points with high efficiency, while Jordan Thompson added six points. In defense, libero Morgan Hentz shared the top of the match with 10 digs, and USA Volleyball states that Kubik-Banks, Lexi Rodriguez and Lee-Wank also made important contributions in the backcourt. The breadth of the American performance was one of the reasons why Italy could not focus only on stopping one attacking option.
Italy was left without an answer after losing the finish
The Italian national team entered the encounter with the reputation of one of the most stable teams in world volleyball. Volleyball World, in its overview of past winners, states that the Italians won the VNL in 2022, 2024 and 2025, equaling the USA in the number of women's titles in this competition. On the official Olympic Games website, it is highlighted that Italy defeated the USA 3:0 in the final in Paris on August 11, 2024, and won its first Olympic gold in women's volleyball, which further strengthened the symbolism of the new head-to-head encounter. In Pasig, however, Italy did not find the continuity that had led it toward the biggest trophies in the previous two seasons. After the unused chance in the first set, the Italian game lost precision, and the number of errors grew at moments when it was necessary to stop the American runs.
The defeat does not change the fact that Italy is still among the main candidates for the VNL final phase, but it shows how demanding the preliminary phase can be for national teams arriving with high expectations. According to USA Volleyball's report, before its loss to Brazil in the first week, Italy had 39 consecutive victories in the VNL, which speaks to the level of dominance it had built in this cycle. That is precisely why the American 3:0 carries more weight than an ordinary group-stage result: it is a victory against a team that recently held the longest and most impressive run in the competition. For Italy, the most important task after such a defeat is to re-establish reception and reduce the number of unforced errors, because in the VNL format every weakness is quickly reflected in the standings and in the quarterfinal schedule. For the USA, on the other hand, this match is confirmation that it can defeat the strongest opponents even when it is not playing with exactly the same core players from previous major tournaments.
Pool 5 in the Philippines as an important stage of the preliminary phase
For the second week of the women's VNL in the Philippines, Volleyball World listed Pool 5 in Pasig City, with matches at PhilSports Arena from June 17 to 21, 2026. Japan, Italy, the USA, Serbia, the Dominican Republic and Czechia are competing in that pool, which made Pasig one of the most interesting centers of the second week of the competition. For the American national team, the Philippine stage began with a 3:0 victory over the Dominican Republic, continued with a convincing 3:0 triumph against Czechia, and then culminated with a victory against Italy by the same result. According to the schedule published by USA Volleyball, after Italy the USA still had a duel with Serbia to close the second week. Such a run of matches offers a rarely dense test of form, because the opponents bring different styles of play, from Italian tactical discipline to Serbian height and individual attacking quality.
For the Philippines, organizing a tournament of this kind is a continuation of the strong presence of international volleyball in the country and an additional confirmation of local public interest in the top-level women's national team scene. The official Volleyball World ticket page lists PhilSports Arena as the location of the Philippine part of the competition, which is also important for the global accessibility of the event because the VNL systematically distributes matches across different continents. Such a competition model allows national teams to play in front of diverse audiences, but it also creates a logistical challenge because form must be maintained through travel, time zones and short intervals between matches. In that context, the American victory over Italy gains additional value: it came in a week in which matches follow one another quickly, and the quality of recovery is often as important as tactical preparation. A team that wins without losing a set in such circumstances sends a clear message to the competition.
The VNL format increases the value of every victory
The official format of the Volleyball Nations League 2026 states that 18 national teams participate in each gender and that a total of 116 matches are played through the preliminary and final phases. In the preliminary phase, each national team plays 12 matches during three competition weeks, arranged in three pools per week and at three different locations. Volleyball World states that the eight best-ranked national teams according to the ranking system at the end of the preliminary phase enter the Final 8, with the host of the final tournament guaranteed a place. This means that 3:0 and 3:1 victories carry full point value, but also improve the set ratio, which can become important in the fight for a better position in the quarterfinals. The USA's victory over Italy is therefore not only prestigious, but also very useful in the mathematics of qualification.
In the women's VNL, the national teams that met in Pasig have dominated in recent years. According to the overview of previous winners maintained by Volleyball World, the USA won the competition in 2018, 2019 and 2021, while Italy was champion in 2022, 2024 and 2025; the only other women's winner is Türkiye from 2023. That historical framework explains why the USA-Italy duel in the preliminary phase carried the weight of a late knockout-stage match. Although results from June in the VNL cannot be directly turned into a forecast for July, matches like these reveal squad depth, adaptability and mental stability under pressure. The USA showed all three elements in Pasig, while Italy received a warning that the road toward another final phase will be considerably more demanding than its status as defending champion suggests.
The American victory as a signal for the continuation of the competition
For the American national team, the most important conclusion from the match is not only the final 3:0, but the manner in which the victory was achieved. The USA won a level closing phase, reduced its own errors, distributed the attacking burden among several players and neutralized an opponent accustomed to punishing every insecurity in reception. According to USA Volleyball's data, the American team was more efficient in attack and more stable in key long rallies, which was especially visible after the middle of the second set. Such a performance can have a long-term effect on the team's confidence, especially among players who receive a larger role in the rotation during the VNL. In a competition with 12 preliminary matches, roster depth often decides as much as the form of the biggest stars.
Italy will have to view the defeat in Pasig as a corrective, not as a final assessment of its prospects. A national team that has won Olympic gold and three VNL titles in recent years has enough experience for a quick reaction, but the match against the USA clearly showed that even the best lineups cannot count on victory without stable reception and a reduced number of errors. For the audience and the rest of the competition, the duel in the Philippines offered an important picture of the current balance of power: the USA returned to the fight with a performance that combined aggression, discipline and depth, while Italy remains a major threat, but no longer looked untouchable. In the closing phase of the preliminary round, such matches are remembered not only for the points, but also for the message they send to potential opponents in the quarterfinals.
Sources:
- Volleyball World – official match record of USA – Italy in the VNL 2026, with date, location, competition phase and set-by-set result (link)
- USA Volleyball – match report, team statistics, individual performances and statements after the USA victory over Italy in Pasig (link)
- Volleyball World – official explanations of the VNL 2026 competition format, preliminary phase and entry into the Final 8 (link)
- Volleyball World – overview of previous winners of the Volleyball Nations League in the women's competition (link)
- Volleyball World – information about the Philippine part of the VNL 2026, Pool 5 in Pasig City and PhilSports Arena (link)
- Olympics.com – official context of the Italy – USA Olympic final in Paris 2024 and confirmation of Italy winning gold (link)