The US Girls’ U19 Volleyball team executed a thrilling comeback to win the gold at the 2023 FIVB Volleyball World Championship. Starting with a two-set deficit, the Americans pulled off an exhilarating 3-2 victory against Türkiye, with set scores of 20-25, 23-25, 25-22, 25-16, and 15-10.
Abigail Vander Wal played a pivotal role in this American resurgence, scoring a team-high of 19 points. She was closely followed by Favor Anyanwu, who contributed 18 points. On the Türkiye side, Eylul Durgun matched Vander Wal’s score, netting 19 points, while Liza Safronova chipped in with 17 points.
Meanwhile, Italy secured the bronze medal in another heart-stopping five-setter against Japan. The Italians, trailing twice in the match, ultimately emerged victorious with a 3-2 win, sealing set scores of 19-25, 25-14, 22-25, 25-23, and 16-14. The Italian offense was spearheaded by Lisa Esposito who accumulated 20 points. Nicole Piomboni and Merit Adigwe also played key roles, registering 11 and 10 points, respectively. Japan’s Riri Kasai and Miku Akimoto, however, were the top scorers in the match, each tallying 22 points.
In other match results, co-hosts Croatia bagged the fifth spot by blanking Thailand 3-0. Brazil managed to rank seventh after defeating Bulgaria in a 3-1 match.
Individual awards
Most Valuable Player: Abigail Vander Wal (USA)
Best Setter: Ilaria Batte (Italy)
Best Opposite: Beren Yesilirmak (Türkiye)
Best Outside Hitters: Abigail Vander Wal (USA) & Teraya Sigler (USA)
Best Middle Blockers: Aurora Papac (Croatia) & Begum Kaczmaz (Türkiye)
Best Libero: Rin Nishikawa (Japan)
