Paola Egonu: Italy's Under-Appreciated Sporting Talent
Bruno Quinney
3rd year Italian, French & Portuguese
The tension was palpable. In 2018, after a thrilling encounter versus China, Italy stood on the brink of reaching their first Volleyball World Championships final since 2002. The coach, Davide Mazzanti, watched nervously from the touchline. Cristina Chirichella bounced the ball before setting it up and serving it in; there were bodies flying everywhere in a scramble to keep the point alive, pinball on both sides of the court. But finally, as the ball held agonisingly in the air, Paola Egonu rose to slam it home and send Italy to the final. It was a defining moment which epitomised Egonu’s influence and her status as one of Italy’s best.
Perhaps it was hardly surprising, given how Egonu’s journey to the top of volleyball has been marked by laser-focused commitment. She left home at just 13 to join Club Italia – Italian volleyball’s talent factory – and made her debut at 16, before rising through the ranks in the Italian national team’s under-age groups. Playing as an opposite hitter, she had already set the record for the most points in a Serie A match in 2015/16 and, going into the 2018 World Championships, was seen as Italy’s leading talent.
Since then, Egonu has become a trailblazer for Italian volleyball. Her trophy cabinet is laden with silverware and her success at Imoco Volley defined her career, winning two league titles, the CEV Champions League, two Coppa Italias, two Italian Super Cups, and the Club World Championship. Those triumphs have come alongside winning the league title with VafikBank in Turkey, also adding a bronze medal from the 2022 World Championships to the silver medal from 2018. Egonu is indisputably the best Italian talent of her generation.