Italy Triumphs Over Defending Champions US to Claim Women’s Volleyball Gold at Paris Olympics

Italy’s women’s volleyball team ended a long quest for Olympic gold by defeating the defending champion U.S. team in Paris.

Monica De Gennaro, in her fourth Olympic appearance, finally secured a gold medal at the age of 37. Italy’s win marks their first medal in women’s volleyball, an achievement long overdue for the top-ranked team.

“It feels special,” said De Gennaro. “It’s the dream of every player to play in the final of the Olympics and win it. It is something unique. We worked so hard for so many years to be able to reach this final.”

Italy dominated the match, winning in straight sets, 25-18, 25-20, 25-17. The team lost just one set throughout the entire tournament. Their victory ended in an emotional celebration, with players collapsing on the court and lifting De Gennaro into the air.

The win sends the American team home with silver, a disappointing finish after their first Olympic title in Tokyo. For Italy, this gold represents a historic achievement, surpassing their previous best finish of fifth place.

“It means everything,” said Alessia Orro. “There’s a lot of hard work, a lot of sweat, many sacrifices and many disappointments that have brought us this far. They made us take this path, they made us win the gold.”

The match took place in a lively South Paris Arena, filled with fans waving Italian and U.S. flags. The crowd added energy to the intense atmosphere as Italy secured their victory.

After trailing 6-5 in the third set, Italy launched a seven-point streak to lead 12-6. The U.S. team attempted a comeback but ultimately fell short, ending the match with a 6-1 run capped by Paola Egonu’s powerful match point.

“It’s magnificent,” said Caterina Bosetti. “It’s the match that I’ve been waiting for all my life.”

First-time Olympian Myriam Sylla expressed her joy with a gold medal around her neck, reflecting on the effort required to achieve this milestone. “It’s heavy like … the journey that we did to achieve it,” she stated.

Despite the loss, the silver medal adds to the U.S. team’s impressive record, now with seven Olympic medals in women’s volleyball.

“I will walk away being very proud that we were able to play on the last day of competition,” said Jordyn Poulter. “And I think it feels even more sweet to us because of just all that we have gone through as a team.”

Italy reached the final by sweeping Turkey, while the U.S. earned their spot after a five-set victory against Brazil. A lineup change by coach Karch Kiraly, following a group-stage loss to China, brought fresh momentum but ultimately fell short against Italy.

“It was absolutely awesome to see that when we got pushed to the limit … how capable this group was, how much resolve it had, how much grit it had,” said Kiraly. “That was probably the best thing to learn in these Olympics.”