June 22, 2025. – On the final day of Week 2 in the Women’s Volleyball Nations League (VNL), the United States celebrated a thrilling five-set victory over France in Belgrade, a win that lifted the Americans above the Finals qualification cut.
Earlier in Istanbul, the Dominican Republic also claimed a dramatic five-set win against Korea. In another Istanbul nail-biter, Belgium emerged victorious in five sets over Canada.
USA Defeats France in Epic Battle
USA earned a hard-fought victory over France in Belgrade, allowing them to climb past the Europeans in the VNL standings and move above the qualification line for the Finals. The Americans now sit in 8th place with a 4-4 record and 11 points. France, meanwhile, holds 11th place with a 3-5 record and 10 points.
In their match, France controlled much of the first two sets, but the Americans managed to rally in both to take a 2-0 lead. France responded with an 8-0 run in the third set to ignite their comeback and repeated the feat with another 8-0 run in the fourth set to force a decider.
At 13-13 in a tightly contested fifth set, Sarah Franklin sealed the win for the U.S. with back-to-back kills, securing a 3-2 victory (25-22, 26-24, 20-25, 21-25, 15-13).
Franklin led with 18 points, all on kills, while Logan Eggleston added 17 points on 61% efficiency. Middle blocker Dana Rettke contributed 10 points, including three blocks and an ace, and opposite Madisen Skinner was the team’s top scorer with 21 points, including one ace and one block.
Dominican Republic Edges Korea in Five-Set Thriller
Playing in Istanbul, the Dominican Republic and South Korea battled to a tie-break, where Las Reinas del Caribe came out on top with a 3-2 (19-25, 25-17, 19-25, 25-20, 16-14) win.
The Dominicans twice came from behind in sets to push the match to a decisive fifth set. In the thrilling tie-break, Korea saved three straight match points (14-11) to level at 14-14. However, middle blocker Geraldine González earned another match point, and a Korean attack error handed the Caribbean team the win.
Blocking was key for the Dominicans, who doubled Korea’s output at the net (16 blocks to 8). González had a standout performance with seven blocks and 12 total points.
Brayelin Martínez was the match’s top scorer with 24 points, including four blocks. Opposite Gaila González also starred with 22 points and four blocks, while outside hitter Yonkaira Peña added 17 points, all from attacks.
The result places the Dominican Republic in 10th place with 9 points, holding a 4-4 record.
Canada Falls Just Short in Five-Set Battle Against Belgium
Canada played one of the week’s most exciting matches but narrowly missed out on a win, falling to Belgium 2-3 (25-22, 13-25, 25-21, 22-25, 16-18) in a roller coaster match.
Canada came close to clinching the win, especially in the fifth set where they led 13-9. But Belgium stormed back with a five-point run. Despite having two match points, Canada couldn’t finish the set.
Head coach Giovanni Guidetti’s team put together a strong collective performance, particularly in blocking, where they outscored Belgium 17-10.
Outside hitter Hilary Howe Johnson led with 21 points, including five blocks. Young opposite Anna Smrek, 21, added 19 points with four blocks and two aces. Andrea Mitrovic contributed 14 points, and middle blocker Emily Maglio added 10.
“Despite the result, this was one of our most complete matches of the tournament. The team showed character, intensity, and the ability to compete to the final point,” said Canada’s coaching staff after the match.
With the loss, Canada remains in 15th place with a 2-6 record and 6 points. However, their level of play offers positive signs for the remaining matches, where they’ll look to finish strong and climb the standings.
Men’s VNL Week 2 Begins Wednesday, June 25
The second week of the Men’s Volleyball Nations League starts Wednesday, June 25, with NORCECA teams playing in Serbia (Cuba) and Chicago (USA and Canada).
Cuba faces Germany at 13:00 (local time Serbia), while Canada plays Brazil at 16:00 (and the United States hosts China at 19:30 (both local time in Chicago).
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