Italy’s captain wants more than a treble

Middle blocker and team captain Anna Danesi is delighted that Italy secured top spot in Pool D at the CEV Trendyol EuroVolley 2026 Women. Having captained her country to victory at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games and the 2025 World Championship, Danesi sees the prospect of completing a historic treble, starting in the Czech city of Brno on Monday, as an amazing opportunity. However, she is far from satisfied.
Winning EuroVolley would also secure Italy’s automatic qualification for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games. Should the Italians claim the European title, they would move one step closer to the possibility of defending their Olympic crown.

Danesi gives plenty of credit to head coach Julio Velasco, whom many of his opponents describe as “legendary” after demonstrating his ability to win major titles in both men’s and women’s volleyball.
Although Italy won all three sets against Slovakia, Velasco was somewhat critical of his team’s performance in an interview with the Italian Volleyball Federation. He expressed frustration with the way the team reacted after losing points in the first set, noting that they occasionally focused on the wrong things.
Danesi explains Velasco’s coaching philosophy:
“He is not just a tactical coach; he is also a mental coach. He helps us avoid focusing on the wrong things when we lose points. He tells us that we cannot dwell on what we did wrong. We have to trust that the work we put into training is right. At the Olympic Games and the World Championship, we succeeded in doing that. That is how we are going to win this EuroVolley.”