WARSAW, July 26 (Xinhua) -- Reigning champion Italy extended its winning streak to 28 matches with a dominant straight-set victory over host Poland in the semifinal of the 2025 FIVB Women's Volleyball Nations League (VNL) on Saturday.

Led by veteran coach Julio Velasco, Italy delivered a commanding performance, outscoring Poland in every statistical category. The defending champion registered 51 kills to Poland's 30, and recorded 11 blocks against six from the host. Team captain and middle blocker Anna Danesi led all players at the net with five blocks.

Opposite Paola Egonu once again spearheaded Italy's offense, finishing with a match-high 17 points, including 15 kills, one block and one ace. Outside hitter Alice Degradi added 13 points, while middle blocker Agnieszka Korneluk led Poland with 11 points.

"It was a really solid performance from us," Degradi said in a post-match interview with the official VNL website. "Our blocking and defense were especially strong, and we made it very difficult for them to score. We kept improving throughout the match. Each match is a new challenge, and our focus now is fully on the final."

Poland struggled to find its rhythm against Italy's relentless pressure. Korneluk acknowledged Italy's superiority on the night. "They played an excellent match and fully deserved the win," she said. "We need to take lessons from this and quickly shift our focus. Tomorrow's third-place match is the most important one for us now."

Italy's win sets up a highly anticipated final against Brazil, who edged Japan 3-2 (23-25, 25-21, 25-18, 19-25, 15-8) in a thrilling five-set battle.

Brazilian outside hitter Gabriela Guimaraes led all scorers with 25 points, narrowly ahead of teammate Julia Bergmann, who tallied 24. Japan's Yukiko Wada finished with 20 points. ■