Italy claimed the FIVB Women's Volleyball Nations League (VNL) title on Sunday after beating Japan 25-17, 25-17, 21-25, 25-20 in the final.
Italy outspiked and outblocked Japan, witnessing its star opposite Paola Egonu scoring a game-high 27 points. The 25-year-old, who recorded four of her team's 12 kill blocks and delivered 23 of Italy's 66 successful attacks, was named the Most Valuable Player of the women's VNL 2024.
After conceding the first two sets, Japan fought back to take the third, but that was as much as they could manage. Japan settled for silver, which is the best result the team has ever achieved in the VNL.
Poland finished third by beating Brazil in a dramatic five-set battle.