MONTREUX, Switzerland.- Italy took the Montreux Volley Masters title on Sunday after defeating USA 3-1 in a spectacular final here in Montreux, Switzerland. The sets finished 20-25, 25-18, 33-31, 25-20. For Italy, World Champion in 2002, the victory is extremely important. The year 2003 was not the best year for Italian volleyball and winning the event here in Montreux is the first major Italian victory since winning the World Championship Title.   

China grabbed the bronze medal after nailing Cuba in three straight sets by the score of  25-20, 25-18, 25-23.  The Chinese team was the defending champion here on the edge of Lake Geneva, but lost the semifinal against USA on Saturday. Germany finished fifth after a surprising 3-0 victory over Russia.

The next edition of Montreux Volley Masters will be held from 7 till 12 June 2005. The event was celebrating its 20th anniversary and is well established as the world's premiere international friendly tournament for women's volleyball. The tournament has this year attracted eight of the top 11 teams of the FIVB's World Ranking.