Ginevra Merlini, Women’s Beach Volleyball sophomore, dives for the ball at the Italian U20 National Juniors tournament in Aug. 2026. Merlini recently won the tournament and secured a national title. Photos courtesy of Ginevra Merlini
After years of training with one goal in mind, Ginevra Merlini, sophomore Beach Volleyball player, won the Italian U20 National Juniors Championship Final on Aug. 27. Facing numerous teams through six matches, Merlini and her partner Nicole Scantamburlo earned the victory.
After winning a national title for her region in 2023, Merlini trained to end her time in the junior league with two titles under her belt.
“I really wanted to close my junior’s career with a national title,” Merlini said. “The whole summer, I made a lot of sacrifices. I had to give up a lot of things and put all my energy into getting better and winning the tournament.”
The two-day tournament consisted of pool play, where Merlini and her partner faced two teams, winning their first game and losing their second. These results moved them to the next round where another win secured their spot in the quarter finals on day two. Winning the quarter final match, the pair faced the team to whom they had lost during pool play next.
“We were stressing out too much because we really wanted to get to finals. That was our goal for the season,” Merlini said. “But we didn’t let the loss in pool play effect how we played the semifinal. We really believed in the work we put in, and in our culture as well. We were just very confident.”
After winning 2-0 in the semifinals, Merlini and Scantamburlo secured their spots as national champions, winning the final 2-0.
“It was a really good game,” Merlini said. “They were probably the favorites to win the championship because they were really good. But I feel like we played very well together as a team and we just did our best.”
Spending the majority of her summer away from her family to train for the tournament, Merlini said she was grateful for the opportunity to practice with one of the best clubs in Italy. However, she recognizes what she had to sacrifice in order to reach her goals.
“I had to live in Milan and only go back home for weekends,” Merlini said. “So it was hard to be far from home during the year and this summer.”
Merlini began playing indoor volleyball at the age of 5 in Italy before moving to London and playing there for two years. When she committed to Pepperdine, she fully transitioned to beach volleyball.
Moving to the United States to start her journey with beach volleyball at Pepperdine in 2025, Merlini said she is proud of how much she has learned in such a short time.
“As an incoming freshman, especially from another country, you just don’t really know anything,” Merlini said. “Learning how practice works, the recovery time, the coaches, was definitely one of my highlights because I feel I learned a lot about myself.”
Merlini said she aspires to continue representing Italy on the national scale.
“In the sport in general, I would like to be on the international setting board in tournaments representing my country,” Merlini said. “And then my final goal would be the Olympics, so just getting better every year.”
Ginevra Merlini, Women’s Beach Volleyball sophomore, (second from the right) poses with her teammate and coaches after winning the Italian U20 National Juniors Final. Merlini closed out her junior league career with a national title.
Having to miss a few days of school for the tournament, Merlini said she is grateful for the support she felt from her Pepperdine team while competing.
“They would text me and ask how the games went,” Merlini said. “They were very active and supportive. I’m definitely a different athlete since last year from the work that I put in here at Pepperdine.”
Sophomore Sonia Mancuso, another member of the beach volleyball team, admires Merlini’s love of the game.
“She is one of the most driven and motivated people I know,” Mancuso said. “She always bringing the competitive energy to practice, but also has a good balance of being competitive and wanting to compete but also having fun and bringing up the energy. She’s just so fun to play with.”
Mancuso said the team is proud of Merlini’s success at the tournament. She admires Merlini’s skillful ball control, technical shots and fiery attitude on the court.
“I love seeing how confident she’s become in volleyball,” Mancuso said. “Having her level of competitiveness and skill on the team is obviously going to bring everyone’s level up. It’s a confidence boost for the team.”
Ginevra Merlini, Women’s Beach Volleyball sophomore, spikes the ball on the opposing team. Merlini said she used her skill and determination to win the tournament.
Marcio Sicoli, Women’s Beach Volleyball head coach, said he agreed that Merlini is a focal part of the program.
“We’re lucky to have her,” Sicoli said. “She’s relentless. Every ball that goes in the air, Ginevra’s there. Her IQ for the game is fantastic.”
Sicoli describes Merlini’s growth throughout her last year at Pepperdine as a night- and-day difference.
“Freshman year, she was really lost and overwhelmed with all the resources of our school,” Sicoli said. “And this year, her sophomore year, she’s really comfortable with all the resources, with all the expectations and throughout our faith-based mission.”
Sicoli said Merlini’s recent victory means so much both to Merlini herself and the Pepperdine community as a whole.
“The most important thing in all of this is for her confidence and all the hard work that she has been putting in all these years to summit her junior career in Italy,” Sicoli said. “And then for our community to have an athlete that can show her faith and her grit is creating that diversity of people from different countries that hold on to a Christian mission.”
Sicoli is grateful to have Merlini on the team both on and off the court.
“Ginevra is not just only a volleyball player,” Sicoli said. “She is an all-around great person.”
This story was copy edited by Olivia Schlossin.
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Contact Lang Cooper via email: lang.cooper@pepperdine.edu