Two players from the Delta Group Porto Viro, middle blocker Mattia Eccher and spiker Lorenzo Magliano, will defend the colors of Italy at the European Under 22 men’s volleyball championships scheduled from 9 to 14 July in the Netherlands. The official call from the Italian Volleyball Federation arrived in the last few hours following the indication of the Technical Director of the men’s youth national teams Ferdinando De Giorgi and the coach of the U22 selection Vincenzo Fanizza.
Eccher, born in 2003, in his second season in Porto Viro, will attempt to win the U22 continental title after having already graduated European Champion in 2022 with the Under 20 national team and Vice World Champion in 2023 with the Under 21 national team. Magliano too – born in 2005, purchased this summer by Delta Group – has already won a European title, in 2022 with the national Under 18 team.
Coming to the match calendar of the event, Italy – which arrives in Holland as reigning champions – will make its debut on Tuesday 9 July against the Czech Republic (4.30 pm), and then face France on Wednesday 10 (7.30 pm) and close the group stage Thursday 11th against Portugal (7.30 pm). The top two classified in the preliminary pools will advance to the semi-finals, scheduled for Saturday 13 July, while the following day – Sunday 14 – the first-second and third-fourth place finals will be played.
Below is the complete list of the Italians who will take part in the U22 European Championships, which also includes two former Porto Viro players, Barotto from Polesine (who moved to Milan in the summer) and Iervolino.
SETTER: Mattia Boninfante, Alessandro Fanizza.
SHOOTERS: Jan Feri, Riccardo Iervolino, Lorenzo Magliano, Mattia Orioli, Federico Roberti.
OPPOSITES: Tommaso Barotto.
CENTRALS: Cosimo Balestra, Filippo Bartolucci, Mattia Eccher, Nicolò Volpe.
FREE: Luca Loreti, Matteo Staforini.
The staff of the U22 national team: Vincenzo Fanizza (First Coach), Mario Di Pietro (Second Coach), Giacomo Bozzo (Technical Assistant), Stefano Recine (Accompanying Manager), Domenico Capodiferro (Doctor), Filippo D’Elia (Physiotherapist), Giuseppe Brogneri (Athletic Trainer), Annalisa Pinto (Scoutman), Enrico Cecamore (Team Manager).
