Wonderkid Michieletto looking to make his mark on the European stage
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At just 22 years of age, young superstar Alessandro Michieletto already has a glittering volleyball career. After a very successful youth career, the Italian outside hitter has wasted no time making his mark on the professional stage.
The 2022/23 season saw Michieletto’s Trentino Itas side capture the SuperLega title for the first time since the 2014/15 season. In the final, Trentino took down Cucine Lube Civitanova, who had won the previous three editions of the SuperLega. At the end-of-season awards, Michieletto was named Best Spiker.
There will be no repeat of the domestic title this season, however, where, despite finishing top of the standings in the regular season, Trentino Itas fell in the semi-finals 3-2 to Mint Vero Volley Monza. They will still battle for 3rd place, and Trentino Itas currently hold a 1-0 lead over Allianz Milano.
It is on the European stage where Michieletto has really stood out this season. In just ten matches played, the outside hitter has recorded 107 winning spikes to go alongside his 21 kill blocks and 17 aces. In the semi-finals against domestic rivals Cucine Lube Civitanova, Michieletto scored 37 points, more than any other Trentino Itas player, earning 5.29 points per set played.
Internationally, Michieletto is a proven winner. For the Italy youth sides, he won the 2019 European Youth Olympic Festival, the U19 World Championship and the U21 World Championship, where he was named MVP for the tournament. For the national team, the young outside hitter has already claimed two team titles, winning the 2021 CEV European Championship and the 2022 FIVB World Championships, and an individual award where he was named Best Outside Hitter at the CEV European Championship.
Despite his young age, this will be Michieletto’s third CEV Champions League SuperFinal. He represented Trentino Itas in the 2020/21 and 2021/22 SuperFinals, but the Italians could not find a way past Polish juggernauts Grupa Azoty Kędzierzyn-Koźle in both finals. This year, Michieletto and the rest of his teammates will look to exact revenge on Polish opposition, but this time they face Jastrzebski Wegiel in the SuperFinal.
Trentino Itas have a strong European pedigree. This will be their seventh appearance in the CEV Champions League SuperFinal, with only Zenit Kazan being able to boast more SuperFinal appearances. The Italian side will be looking to become just the second team, after Zenit Kazan, to win the CEV Champions League on more than three occasions. After claiming the title in their first three SuperFinal appearances, Trentino have since lost their last three appearances in the showpiece event.
None of the current Trentino Itas squad were involved in the team’s most recent European triumph, back in 2010/11, so this is the perfect time for Michieletto and the rest of his teammates to write their names into the club’s history books.