2025 Belonged to Them: The women who defined the game
Some seasons are remembered for the trophies hoisted into the air. Others become turning points for the sport itself. But the 2025 women’s Volleyball season felt deeper than that. It was a year of presence. A season shaped by leadership, longevity, reinvention and those moments when the court seemed to shrink around a select few players who simply refused to let the game belong to anyone else.
Across the CEV Champions League Volley stages and the relentless national team calendar, many athletes left their mark in 2025. This story highlights five of them, emblematic figures in a year defined by excellence, knowing full well that the richness of the season extended far beyond any single list.
Monica De Gennaro - The Legend’s Final Bow (in Blue)
If 2025 had a heartbeat, it was the sound of Monica De Gennaro’s knees hitting the floor - still, relentlessly, decisively.
At 38, the Italian libero closed her international chapter the only way a legend can: at the absolute summit. When Italy secured that gruelling five-set victory over Türkiye in the 2025 World Championship final, it was more than gold - it was the final seal on a national team career that redefined the libero position.
Following Olympic gold in Paris and a World Championship crown, De Gennaro’s 2025 was a masterclass in defying time. Being named VNL MVP as a libero - one of the rarest honours in the sport - captured her unique ability to shape matches without ever needing the spotlight. For nearly two decades, she has been the foundation of the Azzurre.
Her farewell from the national team was not a retreat, but a conscious transition. As Italian media noted, she stepped away not because she could no longer compete, but because she had nothing left to prove in blue.
And yet, the story does not end there. De Gennaro continues to anchor Prosecco DOC Imoco Conegliano, entering her 13th season with the club - holder of every longevity record, a key figure in all 29 major trophies, and still the standard by which liberos are measured. In 2025, European Volleyball didn’t say goodbye to Moki. It stood still - and applauded.
Alessia Orro - The Courage to Evolve
Leadership for a setter is often quiet and tactical. In 2025, Alessia Orro’s leadership was a roar.
After becoming the heartbeat of Numia Vero Volley MILANO, Orro made one of the boldest moves on the European market, joining Fenerbahçe Medicana ISTANBUL. Stepping into the Yellow Angels’ pressure cooker is not for the faint of heart - yet Orro did not just adapt; she commanded.
She embraced the intensity of the Turkish Sultanlar Ligi, proving that elite playmaking is as much about psychological resilience as it is about precision. “I didn’t want a choice based on comfort,” she reflected in Italian press interviews. “I wanted a life experience that challenged my limits.”
By steering a star-studded roster through a high-stakes season with clarity and composure, Orro showed that evolution is sometimes the most powerful form of leadership.
Eda Erdem — The Eternal Captain
There are players who define eras. And then there is Eda Erdem - who defines values.
In 2025, the captain of both Türkiye and Fenerbahçe continued to defy age, gravity, and expectation. Statistically dominant and tactically indispensable, she remained one of the game’s elite middle blockers. But her influence reached far beyond the net.
Her appointment as a UN Women Goodwill Ambassador elevated her role to a global stage, transforming sporting excellence into social leadership. In a country where women’s Volleyball has become a cultural force, her message - “Every girl can be the captain of her own life” resonated far beyond the arena.
Honours followed, including Volleyball Player of the Year awards, but Erdem’s true achievement in 2025 was showing how an athlete can shape identity, culture, and purpose - not just results.
Agnieszka Korneluk - The Great Wall of Poland
At a position built on timing and authority, Agnieszka Korneluk found her perfect rhythm in 2025.
Moving from the Polish league to join the powerhouse environment of Fenerbahçe, Korneluk immediately added steel and structure to an already formidable roster. A Super Cup triumph set the tone for a season defined by consistency and control.
As captain of the Polish national team, she remained the reference point for a generation that now expects to compete at the highest level. Being named Best Middle Blocker in the VNL Dream Team for the second consecutive year confirmed her status: attacking against Korneluk means attacking against a wall.
In 2025, she didn’t just perform - she set the standard.
Ekaterina Antropova - The Arrival of Inevitability
If one moment symbolised a shift in the global hierarchy, it was the Club World Championship final - and Ekaterina Antropova stood at its centre.
Leading Savino Del Bene SCANDICCI to their first-ever world title, the 22-year-old opposite delivered a 25-point masterclass against Imoco Conegliano. Finishing as Top Scorer, Best Opposite, and MVP, she announced herself with authority.
Calm, clinical, and relentless, Antropova represents a new generation of power. In a season shaped by legendary farewells and established icons, her rise provided the perfect counterpoint. The future, she showed, is no longer approaching.
It is already here.
The 2025 season was not just a sequence of matches or medals. It was a narrative shaped by women who led, endured, evolved, and inspired - alongside many others whose impact deserves recognition beyond a single article.
From De Gennaro’s perfect transition to Orro’s bold reinvention, Erdem’s leadership beyond sport, Korneluk’s authority at the net, and Antropova’s thunderous breakthrough.
These players didn’t just play the game. They owned it.