Yokohama, October 22 - The Italian women's volleyball team took silver at the 2018 FIVB Volleyball Women's World Championship in Yokohama, Japan on Saturday, after being defeated by Serbia 3-2 in the final. The silver medal capped an exciting three-week run for the Italian national team, where they garnered 11 victories and just two defeats. Italian President Sergio Mattarella, in his congratulatory call to CONI head Giovanni Malagò, invited the team to visit the Quirinal Palace in the coming days. This silver medal win is the first time in the last 16 years that the Italian national team has taken a medal in women's volleyball, with a young team whose median age is less than 23. Coach Davide Mazzanti had strategically organised the championship team, allowing the players to work to their highest advantages, led by 19-year-old Paola Egonu.