Karch Kiraly's American team will kick off their Volleyball Nations League Finals campaign against Italy.
The two powerhouses previously met in Ottawa, where Italy secured a hard-fought tie-break victory. All eyes will be on Italy's Mattia Bottolo and rising star Pardo Mati, while the USA will look to the firepower of Jake Hanes.
With three wins needed to capture the one major trophy still missing from their cabinet, Italy enters the 2026 VNL Finals with a clear objective. The Azzurri's first hurdle is the United States, a team they narrowly defeated during the first week of the preliminary round. That match in Ottawa, Canada, saw Bottolo and his teammates clinch the win only after a decisive fifth set. The winner of this quarter-final will advance to face either Japan or China in the semi-finals.
Match Details
The quarter-final clash between Italy and the United States will be held at the Beilun Gymnasium in Ningbo, China.
The match is scheduled to begin at 3:00 AM ET on Thursday, July 30.
The 8,000-seat arena, which opened in 2005, has a rich history of hosting major volleyball events, including the World Grand Prix finals in 2010 and 2012, as well as last year's VNL Finals.
How to watch
The Volleyball Nations League Finals is available to stream on VBTV, the broadcast rights are held by DAZN.
Road to the Finals
The United States finished just behind Italy in fifth place, also with an 8-4 record but with one fewer point (25). Given their previous tight encounter, another closely contested match is expected.
Karch Kiraly's squad, fresh off a bronze medal at the Paris 2024 Olympics, relies heavily on opposite spiker Jake Hanes, who finished 12th overall in scoring with 157 points. He is supported by the veteran Matthew Anderson, who tallied 138 points and was the only American to reach double digits in their last match against Poland. The lineup also features key contributors Cole Hartke (78 points) and middle blocker Merrick McHenry, alongside T.J. DeFalco (63 points each), all orchestrated by setter Micah Christenson.
Italy finished the preliminary phase in fourth place with an 8-4 record, securing 26 points. They ride into Ningbo on a wave of momentum, having won their final three matches against Belgium, Argentina, and a comeback victory over Cuba, dropping only a single set in the process. Their offensive charge has been led by the consistent Mattia Bottolo, who ranked 13th among all scorers in the first phase with 155 points (131 attacks, 14 blocks, 10 aces).
Supporting him are Luca Porro (97 points) and Alessandro Bovolenta (94). In the middle, Pardo Mati has delivered an impressive debut season with the senior national team, contributing 58 points, including 17 blocks, proving that Italy's golden generation of talent is far from over. However, the team will be without star player Alessandro Michieletto, who is continuing his recovery program.
USA vs. Italy Men's Quarterfinal Odds
USA | Italy | |
Money Line | -138 | +100 |
Total | O 186.5 -120 | U 186.5 -120 |
Handicap | -1.5 +162 | +1.5 -225 |
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All odds written in this article were correct at the time of writing and are subject to change.
