Defending champion Italy escaped another five-set thriller after outlasting Serbia, 25-14, 25-15, 18-25, 21-25, 15-12, on Thursday, June 18, in the Volleyball Nations League at the PhilSports Arena.

The world No. 1 squad appeared headed for a routine victory after dominating the opening two sets before Serbia mounted another spirited comeback, forcing a deciding fifth set in the FIVB’s premier annual international competition.

Italy Survives Serbian Rally

Italy relied on a balanced offensive attack to weather Serbia’s late surge and secure its second straight victory in the Pasig City leg presented by the Philippine Sports Commission.

Josephine Obossa led the defending champions with 18 points, while Sarah Luisa Fahr added 17 markers. Linda Nwakalor also delivered 13 points to help Italy improve its record to 5-1.

Ekaterina Antropova struggled to find her rhythm early and managed just five points through the first three sets. The opposite hitter responded when it mattered most, finishing with 12 points to help Italy close out the hard-fought victory.

Despite dropping the first two sets convincingly, Serbia once again displayed its resilience by storming back to level the match and push one of the tournament favorites to the brink.

Serbia Falls Short Again

The loss marked yet another heartbreaking five-set defeat for Serbia, which has repeatedly come close to pulling off victories throughout this year’s tournament.

Earlier in the competition, the Serbians also lost extended matches against Poland and Belgium before suffering another five-set setback against Japan just a day earlier in Pasig City.

Nina Cajic paced Serbia with 19 points, but her efforts were not enough to prevent the team from slipping to its fifth loss in six matches.

Italy joined the United States at 5-1 in the standings after the Americans earlier swept Czechia, 25-17, 25-12, 25-16.

Serbia will look to end its skid when it faces the Dominican Republic on Friday, while Japan takes on Czechia in another key matchup of the Pasig City leg.