Giannelli claims World Championship MVP award

The technical and emotional leader of the young Italian team that took gold at the FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Championship 2022, star setter Simone Giannelli was named the Most Valuable Player of the 20th edition of the tournament, which came to an end in Katowice on Sunday.

The 26-year-old Giannelli was one of three Italian players selected for the tournament’s Dream Team, which also included three athletes from runners-up Poland and one from bronze medallists Brazil.

Best Setter: Simone Giannelli (Italy)

Best Opposite: Bartosz Kurek (Poland)

Best Outside Hitters: Yoandy Leal (Brazil) and Kamil Semeniuk (Poland)

Best Middle Blockers: Mateusz Bieniek (Poland) and Gianluca Galassi (Italy)

Best Libero: Fabio Balaso (Italy)

MVP: Simone Giannelli (Italy)

Giannelli ended his second World Championship appearance ranked first among the players in his position, with 139 positive setting actions and a success rate of 26.83%. He also tallied 11 kills, eight blocks, five aces and 25 digs during the Italian campaign in Poland and Slovenia.

“It was incredible to play here, the Polish fans are amazing,” he said after the gold medal match. “They cheer their team a lot, but they are very kind to their opponents. I appreciate the atmosphere they created here. I would like to thank all of them, they for sure breathe volleyball.”

The Italian setter had an excellent performance in the gold medal match against Poland. Besides registering 11 successful setting actions, he also scored seven points with five kills and two aces.

The World Championship MVP award was the second and most important won by the Italian setter in his international career so far. Last year, he was also chosen as the Most Valuable Player in his team’s victory at the European Championship.

· All FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Championship 2022 matches are available on demand on Volleyball TV.