Women’s world volleyball runner-up Italy, who missed out on a medal at EuroVolley 2023, will be without one of its stars, Paola Egonu, at the upcoming Olympic qualifiers.
The tournament in Group C of the qualifiers will be held from September 16 to 24 in Lodz (Poland). The Italian women’s national volleyball team will play against Thailand, USA, Slovenia, Colombia, Poland, Republic of Korea and Germany, with only the top two teams qualifying for the Paris 2024 Olympics.
The news of Paola Egonu’s absence came after the Italian federation announced the squad for the qualifiers. It includes 15 players who will train in Val di Fiemme from September 9, with 14 of them playing in the qualification.
The official information is that Paola Egonu has confirmed her commitment to the Italy, but has agreed with coach Davide Mazzanti and the president of the federation Giuseppe Manfredi not to play in the tournament in Poland in order to rest before the start of the club season. However, it is rumored in the Italian media that she had a confrontation with the two after the end of EuroVolley 2023 and her future in the team is also unclear after playing less and less at the championship at the expense of the naturalized Ekaterina Antropova.
The Italian women’s volleyball team for Paris 2024 Olympics qualifications in Poland includes: Alessia Orro, Francesca Bosio (Setters), Sylvia Nwakalor, Ekaterina Antropova (Opposites), Miriam Sylla, Elena Pietrini, Loveth Omoruyi, Alice Degradi, Francesca Villani (Outside Hitters), Marina Lubian, Anna Danesi, Federica Squarcini, Linda Nwakalor (Middle-blockers), Eleonora Fersino, Beatrice Parrocchiale (Liberos).
