The Italian women's national volleyball team won silver at the European Championships. In an upset-filled final, Turkey, guided by Italian coach Daniele Santarelli, won the tiebreaker 3-2 (16-25, 25-22, 12-25, 25-21, 15-10) and reaffirmed their European champion title after their victory in 2023. The Italians got off to an explosive start. After a hesitant start, Julio Velasco's squad blasted off, opening up a nine-point advantage headed by Egonu and Antropova. Danesi scored a point to end the opening set at 25-16. In the second set, the momentum appeared to be unchanged, with Italy ahead 12-6, but the Turks came back and tied the game at 20-20. At the height of the excitement, the defending champs raised their voices and matched the score (25-22) with a handball by Vargas. Italy responded as a great team, dominating the third set without appeal: Antropova's Italian monolog finished at 25-12. In the fourth set, however, Turkey jumped off to a 10-3 lead; the Italians tried a comeback, getting within two points, but their opponents' comeback ended at 25-21. In the crucial tie-break, Turkey had the advantage. Italy struggled with reception and rapidly fell behind, allowing Turkey to maintain their lead and win 15-10, also helped by an error on serve from Egonu. Despite the loss of a hard-fought final, Italy is confident of securing a high-value silver medal, adding to an exceptional cycle that includes Olympic and World Championship victories.