Overview
- On Thursday in Reggio Calabria Germany won an extraordinary first set 66:64 that the Deutscher Volleyball‑Verband (DVV) timed at 89 minutes, the longest set recorded in an official national‑team match.
- Match statistics show both sides defended 43 set balls in that opening set, Germany repelled 28 Italian set balls, and Tobias Brand finished the sequence by converting Germany’s 15th set ball.
- Italy recovered to win the overall fixture 3–2 (66:64, 22:25, 25:23, 22:25, 12:15) after a contest that lasted more than three and a half hours.
- Players and coach Massimo Botti described the set as unprecedented and exhausting, with German setter Johannes Tille noting the team used positivity to manage the mental and physical strain.
- The 89‑minute mark surpasses the June record of a 62‑minute set in the Volleyball Nations League and makes the FIPAV Cup a high‑intensity rehearsal as Germany prepares to face Cuba and Brazil before the European Championship in September.