Tag: 2023 VNL

June 29, 2023.- Canada came out on top of a huge five-set battle with volleyball powerhouse Brazil today in Thailand, while United States and Dominican Republic swept Bulgaria and Korea respectively in Korea.
 
It was Brazil 2 Canada 3 (30-28, 22-25, 23-25, 25-21,15-17) in an overtime match, with underdog Canada showing composure under pressure during this women’s phase 3 match of Volleyball Nations League.

Brazil led in attack (75-64) and service points (4-3), but Canada out blocked Brazil 21- 13 (with 8 of those from Canada’s Emily Maglio) as well as made fewer errors. Canada’s Alexa Gray led all scorers with 25 points.
 
Canada plays Italy on Friday and Netherlands on July 01 to close out the third and final preliminary phase in Thailand.
 
Brazil, reigning Olympic silver medalists, has seven VNL wins so far; this is Canada’s fifth win.

The No. 1 team in the world, the United States (9-1), swept Bulgaria 3-0 (25-15, 25-17, 25-17) leading in attacks (30-25), in blocks (16-6) and service points (7-3).

Jordan Thompson scored a match-high of 16 points (11 kills, 4 blocks, one ace). Outside hitter Kara Bahema added 14 points, leading blocks with 5 points.

The U.S. will get back on court on July 1 against Germany and will close week 3 against China on July 2, before heading back home to play the Finals.

Las Reinas del Caribe earned their fourth win beating Korea 3-0 (25-18, 25-18, 25-16).

Dominican Republic outclassed Korea with 48 points from kills against 29. They also led 10-3 in blocks and 5-3 in aces.

Gaila Gonzalez led Dominican Republic with 17 points (12 kills, 4 blocks, one ace) as the top scorer in the match. Middle blocker Jineiry Martinez and outside hitter Yonkaira Peña also scored double digits with 14 and 13 points respectively.

Dominican Republic plays China and Serbia (with the time zone difference it’ll be the same day in our continent).

Teams are vying for a spot in the quarterfinals (top 8): https://en.volleyballworld.com/volleyball/competitions/vnl-2023/standings/women/

June 27, 2023.- Canada kicked off its third phase of Volleyball Nations League with a 3-0 win over Croatia in Bangkok, Thailand while Dominican Republic fell 1-3 to Germany in Suwon, Korea.

Croatia came out determined, gaining a large lead (10-3) partway in the first set, but a composed Canada came back and despite a late charge by their opponents, closed the match in three sets (21-25, 21-25, 26-28).
 
Croatia and Canada were almost even in attack points (43-42), but Canada’s (13-6) block and service were difference makers today (4-2). Canada was led by Alexa Gray with 20 points (17 attack kills and 3 blocks). Gray is among the top attackers of the tournament so far.

This is Canada’s fourth win of the tournament. Canada plays Brazil next (June 29). 

Pool 5 action in Suwon started earlier on Tuesday with Germany’s 3-1 (25-19, 25-18, 18-25, 25-21) win over the Dominican Republic.

The Caribbean Queens stand 11th on 3-6 and seven.

Brayelin Martinez topped the chart with 21 points for Dominican Republic. Gaila González also helped Dominicans with 17 points.

Both teams scored on a similar number of kills, with Germany leading 49-47. The Europeans also led in aces 9-3, while the Caribbeans led 8-6 in blocks.

Dominican Republic will face the home team on June 29.

ROTTERDAM, Netherlands, June 25, 2023.- Cuba rebound from falling in the first set to take down Bulgaria in five sets 3-2 (23-25, 25-19, 25-20, 16-25, 18-16) in their last match of week 2 at the Volleyball Nations League on Sunday in Rotterdam, Netherlands.

The victory over Bulgaria gives Cuba a breath of fresh air to enter the third week of VNL where they will travel to Anaheim where they will play against host United States, Serbia, Germany, and Iran. Cuba has a 2-6 record and eight points, in position 12.

Scoring 27 points, Cuban opposite Jesus Herrera was the top scorer in the match, with 21 kills and a match-high of six aces. Two other Cuban players finished with double digits, Miguel Angel Lopez with 19 points (17 kills, one block, one ace) and Osniel Mergarejo with 12 points (ten kills and two blocks).

Nikolov Aleksander was Bulgaria’s top scorer with 23 points.

Cuba was more productive in kills (62 to 54) and in serves (8 to 3) but committed more unforced errors than their opponents (35 to 29). Bulgaria led in blocks (13 to 8).  

ORLEANS, France, June 24, 2023.-  Canada concluded its second week of Volleyball Nations League in Orleans, France, with a 0-3 (17-25, 21-25, 21-25) loss to the home side.

France, 2020 Olympic champions, led in attack (51-38) points and blanked Canada’s block (5-0), while the teams were even on service points (4-4), and France made a couple more errors than Canada.

Stephen Maar (14) and Arthur Szwarc (13) led Canada in points; while Trevor Clevenot (17) and Jean Patry (16) were top contributors for the winning team.

Canada has two wins and six losses so far in VNL 2023. Although Canada has completed the second phase of men’s VNL, one day remains of week 2 matches.

The women’s tournament resumes on Tuesday, June 27, and Canada’s men’s team’s next phase begins July 05 in Philippines.

View all match stats here: https://en.volleyballworld.com/volleyball/competitions/vnl-2023/schedule/16175/

Standings: https://en.volleyballworld.com/volleyball/competitions/vnl-2023/standings/men/

ORLEANS, France, June 23, 2023.- The home team France defeated Cuba 3-0 (25-18, 25-20, 25-20) on week 2 of the Men’s Volleyball Nations League in Orleans, France.

Cuba is 1-6 and on Saturday they will face NORCECA opponent Canada 2-5 once again in this years’ edition of VNL.

Both France and Cuba scored on 32 kills and four aces. Cuba led in blocks (eight to five) but benefited France with their huge number of unforced errors (34-14).

Outside hitter Miguel Angel López led Cuba with 12 points on nine kills and three aces and outside hitter Marlon Yant contributed with 10 points on seven kills and three blocks. Middle blocker Javier Concepción added 8 points.

ROTTERDAM, Netherlands, June 23, 2023.-  The U.S. Men’s National Team defeated Iran 3-0 (25-22, 25-18, 25-23) for its third consecutive victory in Week 2 of the Volleyball Nations League (VNL) preliminary round in Rotterdam, Netherlands.

The U.S. Men (6-1) return to the court at 4 a.m. PT to face the world’s top-ranked team, Poland (5-1).

The U.S. Men finished the match with 13 service aces, registering at least four in each set. Outside hitter Aaron Russell led the way with seven aces, and outside hitter Thomas Jaeschke and middle blocker David Smith each added a pair.

Opposite Matt Anderson and middle blocker Taylor Averill each totaled a team-high 13 points. Anderson had a .500 hitting efficiency with 13 kills and two errors in 22 total attacks. Averill hit a phenomenal .769 with 10 kills and no errors in 13 attacks, adding two blocks and a service ace. Setter Micah Christenson led the team to an overall hitting efficiency of .352.

“We practice hard together. These guys are amazing professional volleyball players. They play all year long and they are starters,” libero Eric Shoji said about the team’s ability to put multiple lineups on the floor and be successful after contributing six digs and four successful receptions. “We are comfortable with anyone going in there and today was a great win.”

The U.S. recorded four service aces in each of the first two sets for a 2-0 advantage. Russell served three consecutive aces midway through the second set to extend the lead to seven, 16-9.

Iran jumped out to a 5-2 lead in the third set, but the U.S. responded with four points in a row following a timeout by Head Coach John Speraw. Iran regained three-point leads at 16-13 and 20-17, but the U.S. finished the match on an 8-3 run.

“Iran is a great team. They pushed us in the third set,” Shoji stated. “We just wanted to stay with them point by point and catch them at the end, which is what we did.”

ORLEANS, France, June 22, 2023.- Cuba lost to Slovenia in four sets 1-3 (25-22, 15-25, 16-25, 19-25) on Thursday in Pool 4 of the Men’s Volleyball Nations League in Orleans, France.

Slovenia responded strongly after losing the first set, overpowering Cuba with 50-45 advantage in kills, a huge 10-2 in blocks and 5-4 margin in serves. Cuba handed out 32 points from unforced errors against 24.

Opposite hitter Jesus Herrera and outside hitter Marlon Yant led Cuba producing 13 points each. Tine Urnaut of Slovenia was the leading scorer of the match with 19 points.

Cuba is in fifteenth position with a 1-5 win-loss record.

On Friday Cuba faces the home team France.

ORLEANS, France, June 22, 203.-  A solid team effort contributed to Canada’s 3-1 (22-25, 25-23, 25-22, 25-20) win today over Bulgaria at Volleyball Nations League in Orleans, France.

The win was important as Bulgaria is also a VNL challenger team that could face relegation for finishing last among these countries.

“This was a very, very important victory,” said Canada’s head coach Tuomas Sammelvuo. “It gives us confidence. Of course, there are still areas where we need to improve, but today we had improved in our attacking and were more efficient. We still must play better in block and defense (Bulgaria had 11 block points; compared with Canada’s seven).

“What I liked is how we handled those moments when we were leading. We had some leadership on the court to stay calm and focus on the next rally. How we handle these moments is an important part of our path….  We all know this victory is important, but our focus is on getting better!”

Outside hitter Stephen Maar was the top scorer of the match with 16 points, including an ace and a block. Middle blocker Danny Demyanenko had three aces and two kill blocks towards a 15-point total. Opposite Arthur Szwarc also finished with 15 (two aces, one block).

Up-and-comer Aleksandar Nikolov of Bulgaria was that team’s top scorer with 15 points.

View all match stats here: https://en.volleyballworld.com/volleyball/competitions/vnl-2023/schedule/16175/

Standings: https://en.volleyballworld.com/volleyball/competitions/vnl-2023/standings/men/

ROTTERDAM, Netherlands, June 21, 2023.- The U.S. Men’s National Team earned its second Volleyball Nations League (VNL) preliminary round win of week two on Wednesday with a 3-0 (28-26, 25-22, 25-18) blanking of China in Rotterdam, Netherlands.

The U.S. Men (5-1) have a day off before playing Iran (2-4) on June 23 at 7:30 a.m. PT.

Outside hitter Thomas Jaeschke led the U.S. with 15 points on 12 kills, two blocks, and one service ace. Once again, the U.S. men featured a balanced attack with outside hitter T.J. DeFalco (11), opposite Jake Hanes (10), and middle blocker Taylor Averill (nine) all adding high kill totals. Middle blocker Max Holt contributed five kills in six attacks as the U.S. finished with a 51-40 team advantage in kills.

“It’s very special being part of this team because we have so many options at any given time,” DeFalco said. “I’m very fortunate to be part of a team that has those options we can roll out on any night.”

The U.S. got off to a slow start and trailed 18-12 before rallying to tie the first set. China scored consecutive points for a 23-21 lead and eventually had two set points, but the U.S. kept fighting back and took the opener. The U.S. Men led most of the competitive second set though China tied it late. In each of the first two sets, Head Coach John Speraw substituted in setter Micah Christenson and opposite Matt Anderson late in the set and the U.S. finished strongly in each set.

ORLEANS, France, June 20,  2023 .- Slovenia outplayed Canada’s squad today 3-0 (25-23, 25-22, 25-14) at the men’s second week of Volleyball Nations League in Orleans, France.

“Today we played two decent sets, especially the first one,” said Canada’s men’s team head coach Tuomas Sammelvuo. “We wanted to give some of the players that haven’t the opportunity to play a chance today – to feel the court and to learn, and the guys answered well. We were there in the first set, the second was a similar story… but in the third we lacked in our attack and we couldn’t side-out. We couldn’t stop Slovenia’s offense.”

Canada plays Bulgaria, another team that is in the VNL “challenger’ category, on Thursday.

“What is important now is to focus on tomorrow and take good things from this game to prepare. We know this game against Bulgaria is important.”

Today, Slovenia’s Rok Možič led all scoring with 19 points. Canada’s Arthur Szwarc led Canada in points with 11.

View all match stats (& photos/video) here:
https://en.volleyballworld.com/volleyball/competitions/vnl-2023/schedule/16169/

ORLEANS, France, June 21, 2023.- In a Pool 3 game in Orleans on Wednesday, Japan stayed undefeated with a convincing 3-0 (25-21, 25-16, 25-21) shutout of Cuba.

Watch Volleyball Nations League 2023 live on VBTV

The Cubans managed to outblock (8 to 3) and outserve (3 to 0) Japan, but committed far too many unforced errors during the match (30 against 17).

Their outsides Miguel Lopez and Marlon Yant finished with 10 points apiece.

Japan stormed the match on a 4-0 run. Cuba caught up at 9-9, but it was only momentary. With opposite Yuji Nishida spearheading the attack, the Asians broke away again and cruised on to close the first set at 25-21 on an off-the-block hit by Ran Takahashi. Japan clearly outplayed Cuba in the second set as well, especially with their first-tempo offence, with middle blocker Akihiro Yamauchi leading the way. He spiked to bring in set point and, upon his serve that followed, the opponents committed an error that closed the set at an emphatic 25-16. The third set was the most hard-fought of the three, with Cuba maintaining control of the scoreboard for most of the first half, while Marlon Yant dominated at the net. However, taking advantage of the abundant Cuban unforced errors and with Takahashi keeping the fire burning in offence, Japan regained control on the court and cruised on to close the match at 25-21.

On Thursday, Cuba will face Slovenia.

Volleyball Nations League 2023: full schedule and results

ROTTERDAM, Netherlands, June 20, 2023.- The U.S. Men’s National Team opened the second week of Volleyball Nations League (VNL) preliminary round play with a 3-1 (22-25, 25-19, 25-19, 25-21) victory over Serbia in Rotterdam, Netherlands.

The U.S. Men (4-1), ranked fifth in the world, come right back tomorrow to face China (1-3) at 7:30 a.m. PT.

Four players registered double-digit kills totals with outside hitter T.J. DeFalco leading the way with 14. He added a block and two service aces for a team-high 17 points. Outside hitter Aaron Russell finished with 13 kills, while outside hitter Matt Anderson and middle blocker Jeff Jendryk each added 10.

“They are all beasts, they are all incredible attackers,” captain and setter Micah Christenson said about setting the U.S. hitters. “There is no wrong decision on this team because they can all put the ball away with one, two, or three blocks up.”

Anderson added four blocks and two aces, and middle blocker David Smith recorded a match-high six blocks as the U.S. carved out a huge advantage in blocking, 11-4.

After dropping the first set, the U.S. started serving tougher and jumped out in front in the second set. An ace from DeFalco gave the U.S. a six-point advantage,16-10, and Serbia never got closer than three points the remainder of the set as the U.S. evened the match.

The U.S. Men continued their strong play in the third set and when DeFalco put an overpass straight down, they led 21-14 and went on to take a two set to one lead. The fourth set was more of the same as the U.S. clinched the match despite a gallant effort from Serbia, who fought off three match points.

“I think we executed really well, even in the first set. We’ve got to give Serbia a lot of credit for that first set. They did a great job in transition,” Christenson explained. “It felt like it was coming together and 25 came just a little too fast. If we stayed out on the court a little longer, we were confident we were going to get that and it showed in the second, third, and fourth sets.”

The U.S. Men will host the third round of preliminary play in Anaheim, California, on July 4-9.

ORLEANS, France, June 20, 2023.-  Canada’s men’s team kicked off the second preliminary phase of Volleyball Nations League against a tough Japanese side in Orleans, France, today.

Japan’s attacking power made a difference in the 3-1 (25-22, 25-17, 24-26, 25-14) win over the Canadians.

Stephen Maar and Arthur Szwarc both had 17 points each for Canada. Japan’s captain Yuki Ishikawa was the match top scorer providing 19 attack points; as well as three aces and a block point.
 
View all match stats (& photos/video) here:
https://en.volleyballworld.com/volleyball/competitions/vnl-2023/schedule/16160/

Watch Volleyball Nations League 2023 live on VBTV
 
Canada meets Slovenia on Wednesday; followed by Bulgaria the next day. The team wraps up this week on Saturday against the host team, France.

 Japan continues to sit at the top of the VNL leaderboard with five wins as of today.

BRASILIA, Brazil, June 18, 2023.- The United States had a strong and immediate answer to their first defeat in the Volleyball Nations League 2023 and secured a convincing victory against Brazil in front of 10,000 fans in Brasilia on Sunday to end their Week 2 campaign on a high.

Less than 24 hours after they were upset by Japan, the Olympic champions returned to the court at the Nilson Nelson Stadium and looked like an entirely different team, topping the FIVB Women’s Volleyball World Ranking leaders 3-0 (25-22, 25-19, 25-22) to end the second week of competition in strong fashion.

Watch Volleyball Nations League 2023 live on VBTV

The victory propelled the Americans, who are guaranteed in the 2023 VNL Finals as the host country, to second place in the standings with seven wins and 19 points, one behind leaders Poland.

Dominant from start to finish, the Americans had an excellent team performance, with all starters and the players that came off the bench delivering and producing in the offensive system ran by setter and team captain Micha Hancock.

Tokyo Olympic champion opposite Jordan Thompson was again in great form, leading the team with 15 points (13 kills, two aces). The 26-year-old Thompson registered 15 or more points in three of the four matches played by the Americans in Brasilia, with the exception being the defeat against Japan, in which she just came off the bench in a few plays.

“We have so much respect for Brazil and we always know it’s going to be a battle when we play them,” Thompson commented. “It was a fun, high-energy match and although each win in the VNL is important, this one is different because it’s nice to play such a fun team. The energy was electric and we really enjoyed this atmosphere. Our coaches had a great scouting plan for us today. We tried to force them into things that they weren’t so comfortable with and I think we did a good job with that. Our blocking and defense were very good and Micha was just putting us in great spots to score.”

Also contributing to the American offense in the victory against Brazil were outside hitters Kathryn Plummer and Khalia Lanier, who registered 14 and 12 points respectively.

Outside of blocking, where the Brazilians had the most success with nine points to six, the Olympic champions were better in all other areas of the game, scoring more points in kills (46 to 43), aces (seven to two) and opponent errors (16 to nine).

Volleyball Nations League 2023: full schedule and results

The Olympic champions will be in Suwon, Korea, where they will face Poland, Bulgaria, Germany and China for the third and final week of the VNL 2023 Preliminary Phase, from June 27- July 2.

HONG KONG, China, June 18, 2023.- The Dominican Republic closed the second week of the Volleyball Nations League falling to Türkiye 1-3 (23-25, 19-25, 25-23, 20-25)  on Sunday in Hong Kong, China.

The Turks completely outblocked the Dominicans with 16 kill blocks against three. Gaila Gonzalez scored 17 times for Dominican Republic, alongside Jineiry Martinez (16 points) and Yonkaira Peña (13 points).

Dominicans win-loss dropped to 3-5 and they stand 11th on seven points.

In the final week of the VNL 2023 Preliminary Phase, from June 27- July 2 Dominican Republic will travel to Suwon, Korea where they’ll face the host country, Germany, China and Serbia.

BRASILIA, Brazil, June 17, 2023.- The U.S. Women’s National Team suffered its first 2023 Volleyball Nations League loss of the preliminary round, 3-2 (23-25, 25-23, 25-19, 23-25, 15-6) to Japan on Saturday in Brasilia, Brazil. It marked the second consecutive year that Japan has handed the U.S. its first VNL defeat.

The U.S. Women, currently ranked second in the world, will have a quick turnaround time before meeting the host and world’s top-ranked team, Brazil, at 6 a.m. PDT on Sunday, June 18.

Opposite Danielle Cuttino scored eight points in the opening set to lead the U.S. to a two-point victory. Despite losing three set points, Japan returned the favor with a two-point victory in the second set.

Six service errors contributed to a third-set loss for the U.S. In a highly competitive fourth set, the U.S. team took its first lead midway through the set and took its first two-point lead with back-to-back points with the set tied at 19. After Japan fought off two set points at 24-21, the U.S. sent the match to a fifth set with a kill from setter Ashley Evans.

Japan opened the final set with six consecutive points and cruised to the deciding set win to earn their first five-set victory in this year’s VNL. The U.S. women played their fourth five-set match in the preliminary round.

Outside hitter Khalia Lanier paced the U.S. with 20 points (15 kills, three blocks, two service aces) and Cuttino led the team with 17 kills. Outsider hitter Avery Skinner contributed 12 kills and middle blocker Anna Hall hit .500 with 11 kills.

The U.S. finished with 11 blocks to eight for Japan. Seven different U.S. players recorded at least one block with Lanier’s three leading the way.

The United States will host the 2023 Women’s VNL Final Round on July 12-16 at College Park Center in Arlington, Texas, which means the U.S. automatically qualifies.

HONG KONG, China, June 17, 2023.- Dominican Republic beat NORCECA rival Canada 3-2 (22-25, 25-13, 25-17, 23-25, 15-10) on Saturday on week 2 of the Volleyball Nations League in Hong Kong.

Dominicans improved 3-4 in position ten and will face Türkiye on Sunday to conclude week two of the event. Canada ends this phase in ninth place with 3-4 record.

Thanks to Dominican Republic’s huge 20-9 margin in blocks, they prevailed in a match where both teams scored 57 points from attacks, and Canada ended with a 3-1 advantage in serves.

Dominican Yonkaira Peña led her team with 20 points (18 kills, two blocks), one point less than Canadian Alexa Gray who scored a match-high of 21 (19 kills, one block, one ace).

Also contributing to the win, Jineiry Martinez with 18 points including the most blocks (7), Brayelin Martinez and Gaila Gonzalez added 17 points each.

On Canada’s side, Hilary Howe scored 15 points, Emily Maglio with 11 and Kiera Van Ryk with 10.

HONG KONG, China, June 16, 2023.-  In today’s Volleyball Nations League action, Türkiye got the best of Canada’s women’s team in a 3-0 (25-15, 25-22, 25-20) sweep in Hong Kong.
 
“Türkiye is a very strong team, they controlled first contact well and were more physical than us…  and it was not our best showing today,” admitted head coach Shannon Winzer. “We are capable of putting top teams under more pressure than we did today. We now need to focus on our next game vs Dominican Republic. This is a team we know well and have had some good battles with; both of us being challenger teams I think it will be an exciting match up.”
 
Alexa Gray led Canada in offense with 17 attack points.

Canada meets Dominican Republic, a familiar team from the NORCECA confederation, at 1:30 am ET (13:30 local time) to wrap up women’s week 2 of VNL in Hong Kong. 

BRASILIA, Brazil, June 15, 2023.- Reigning Olympic champions the United States became the second national team to get to six victories in the Volleyball Nations League 2023 on Thursday in Brasilia, Brazil.

The undefeated Americans took care of business against Thailand at the Nilson Nelson Stadium, producing a 3-0 (25-21, 25-18, 25-16) victory that elevated them to second place in the standings, just two points behind leaders Poland.

Watch Volleyball Nations League 2023 live on VBTV

Head coach Karch Kiraly’s strategy of integrating some more experienced players into the young squad that played in the opening week for Pool 4 this week in Brazil has proven to be a successful one as the Americans relied on that mix to overcome the Asians, who have two wins in six matches and sit in tenth place.

Olympic champion opposite Jordan Thompson followed up on a strong VNL debut against Croatia on Tuesday, leading all scorers against Thailand, with 15 points (14 kills, one block). Other new faces this week, Olympic champion middle blocker Haleigh Washington and outside hitter Kathryn Plummer also scored in double digits, registering 11 and ten points, respectively.

The trio got great help from a pair of VNL rookies, Avery Skinner and Asjia O’Neal, who also had great performances, with the outside hitter delivering 14 points (13 kills, one block) and the middle blocker adding another 13, with eight kills and a match-high five blocks.

“Thailand run a really fast offense, so we were just trying to focus on our blocking,” O’Neal commented. “We were just dialed in on what we could do and controlling our side of the court. We tried to stay calm at the net, they have a lot of players coming at you every play, but we knew that at one point, one of them would go into our zone.”

The Americans won the match despite giving away twice as many points from errors as the Thai (15 to seven). The Olympic champions, however, were much better offensively, with 54 kills to 29, and also had the edge in blocks (11 to nine) and aces (three to two).

Volleyball Nations League 2023: full schedule and results

The Americans will have a full day off before playing Japan on Saturday, at 17:30 local time (20:30 UTC).

HONG KONG, China, June 15, 2023.- Dominican Republic lost a five-set thriller 2-3 (16-25, 25-16, 25-21, 22-25, 10-15) to VNL reigning champion Italy on Thursday in Hong Kong.

Dominican Brayelin Martinez continues to be a dominant force leading her team with 18 points (14 kills, three blocks, one ace), accompanied by sibling Jineiry with 16 points (12 kills, three blocks, one ace).

Three more Dominicans scored double-digits, Yonkaira Peña (15pts), Gaila Gonzalez (14pts) and Sthefany Gonzalez (12pt).

Dominicans were better in blocks (16-13) and aces (3-1) while Italy led 60-56 in kills and committed fewer errors (23-28).

Dominican Republic stands with a 2-4 record and will face NORCECA rival Canada (3-3) on June 17 at 13:30 local time in Hong Kong.

HONG KONG, China, June 15, 2023.-  In a match between two Volleyball Nations League challenger teams, an efficient Canadian side came on top 3-0 (25-15, 25-13, 25-15) over Bulgaria today in Hong Kong.
 
Challenger teams must avoid relegation by not coming last among that category.
 
Head coach Shannon Winzer was decidedly pleased with Thursday’s team performance: “Today we played very clean. Serving has been up and down for us throughout the tournament this far and today we did an excellent job from the baseline. Our consistent pressure on serve allowed our blockers to do their jobs well and I think Bulgaria struggled to find any offensive rhythm. Today was great to build on as we face a very strong Turkish team tomorrow.”
 
Canada dominated in all areas, with opposite Kiera Van Ryk ending up contributing 15 points; Hilary Howe 13 and Alexa Gray 11, including two aces.
 
Canada plays Türkiye on June 16; and NORCECA rivals Dominican Republic on June 17 – both at 1:30 am ET (13:30 local time in Hong Kong).

BRASILIA, Brazil, June 13, 2023.- The U.S. Women’s National Team moved to 5-0 in Volleyball Nations League (VNL) preliminary round play with a 3-1 (17-25, 25-22, 25-18, 25-15) victory over Croatia in Brasilia, Brazil.

The U.S. Women have Wednesday off before facing Thailand (2-2) on June 15.

Croatia earned its first set win in this year’s VNL in the opening frame. The U.S. Women rallied to take a close second set before rolling to victories in the third and fourth.

“After the first loss, we had to make some adjustments with our blocks and defense systems,” said outside hitter Ali Frantti, who was making her 2023 VNL debut. “We also talked about serving more aggressively. They were very comfortable in serve receive, so it was important to try to get them off the net.”

Frantti and opposite Jordan Thompson, who was also making her VNL debut this season, combined for 29 kills. Frantti led the U.S. team with 15 kills with a .419 hitting percentage, and Thompson registered a .541 hitting efficiency with 14 kills.

“It was a surreal moment to step back on the court wearing the USA jersey. It’s something I never take for granted,” Frantti described. “Playing with these women is an absolute dream for me. All of us have the same goal and we all push ourselves to be better. Everyone steps up when they need to and that’s the beauty of a team sport.”

Outside hitter Khalia Lanier contributed 12 kills, while middle blockers Brionne Butler (six) and Asjia O’Neal (three) totaled nine kills without an error in 13 attacks.

The U.S. totaled 14 blocks to Croatia’s six, led by Butler’s five.

The United States will host the 2023 Women’s VNL Final Round on July 12-16 at College Park Center in Arlington, Texas, which means the U.S. automatically qualifies.

HONG KONG, China, June 13, 2023.-  Canada’s women’s team opened week 2 of Volleyball Nations League on Tuesday in Hong Kong with a 3-0 loss to China 3-0 (25-14, 25-18, 29-27).
 
“China is a formidable opponent. In the first two sets, we struggled with first contact and struggled from the baseline. In the third, we started hitting our serves and stayed in system more, as a result we were able to go point for point with one of the strongest teams in this competition,” said head coach Shannon Winzer.
 
Although Canada led in attack points (41-39), China had the advantage in other categories (7-3 blocks) and (5-2 serves), and benefited from Canada’s errors (28-13).

Team captain Alexa Gray (13 points), Hilary Howe (12 points) and Kiera Van Ryk (10 points) led Canada offensively.
 
“It’ll be important for us to learn from this game how we responded as a team and individually when things got away from us, but not dwell on this loss,” explained Winzer. “We now need to look forward to our next game versus Bulgaria (June 15) which is an important match up against another challenger team.”
 
VNL Challenger teams can be relegated and would have to qualify to have a place in the tournament. 

HONG KONG, China, June 13, 2023.- Dominican Republic fell against Poland 1-3 (23-25, 28-30, 25-23, 17-25) on Tuesday in Hong Kong.

Poland led 61-55 in kills and 14-8 in blocks; both teams scored three points from serves and Dominican Republic committed fewer errors 25-27.

Outside hitter Brayelin Martinez led Dominican Republic’s attacks scoring 21 points on 19 kills and two blocks. Other two players collected double digits, opposite hitter Gaila Gonzalez with 19 points (17 kills, one block, one ace) and outside hitter Yonkaira Peña with 14 (12 kills, one block, one ace).

Dominican Republic will get back on court on Thursday June 15 against VNL 2022 champion Italy.

OTTAWA, Canada, June 10, 2023.- The Americans endured the pressure of playing in a packed TD Place, with almost every fan supporting the Canadians, and secured their third 3-0 (25-22, 25-20, 25-20) victory in the VNL 2023 counting on 18 points from their star opposite to remain with a perfect campaign in Pool 1.

The United States will enter the final day of the opening week of the Volleyball Nations League 2023 as one of just three undefeated national teams after the Americans overcame NORCECA rivals and hosts Canada on Saturday, in Ottawa.

Watch Volleyball Nations League 2023 live on VBTV

A Rio 2016 Olympic bronze medalist, 36-year-old opposite Matt Anderson was a key player in the American victory. He was a reliable scoring option for the team during the entire match and improved from the seven points he had scored against Italy on Wednesday to 18 against the Canadians, tallying 14 kills, one ace and three blocks.

Fellow Olympic medalist Aaron Russell also had a productive night against the Canadians, trailing only Anderson in points with 17. The 30-year-old outside hitter had 16 kills and one ace during the match.

On the Canadian side, opposite Arthur Szwarc was the leading scorer, with 13 points (12 kills, one block). He had one more than outside hitter Stephen Maar, who registered eight kills, one ace and three blocks.

The Americans benefited from their offensive efficiency (46 kills to Canada’s 36) to create the separation they needed to win the match – they also led in aces by five to one. Canada got one more point from opponent errors (19 to 18) while each side registered six blocks.

Volleyball Nations League 2023: full schedule and results

OTTAWA, Canada, June 10, 2023.- Cuba obtained their first victory at the Volleyball Nations League playing in Pool 1 at the TD Place in Ottawa, Canada. 

After three straight losses, the Caribbean upset Brazil, beating the South Americans in five sets (25-16, 22-25, 27-29, 25-22, 20-18).

Watch Volleyball Nations League 2023 live on VBTV

Opposite Jesús Herrera starred in the Cuban triumph, contributing 30 points to the result. Cuban outside hitter Marlon Yant added 19, with Brazil counting on 23 points from opposite Abouba Dramé and 20 from outside hitter Ricardo Lucarelli.

Cuba overpowered Brazil in every element of the game, leading 70-67 in kills, 14-8 in blocks and 5-2 in aces. Both committed similar number of unforced errors, Cuba (33) and Brazil (30).

Volleyball Nations League 2023: full schedule and results\

OTTAWA, Canada, June 10, 2023.- The Americans endured the pressure of playing in a packed TD Place, with almost every fan supporting the Canadians, and secured their third 3-0 (25-22, 25-20, 25-20) victory in the VNL 2023 counting on 18 points from their star opposite to remain with a perfect campaign in Pool 1.

The United States will enter the final day of the opening week of the Volleyball Nations League 2023 as one of just three undefeated national teams after the Americans overcame NORCECA rivals and hosts Canada on Saturday, in Ottawa.

Watch Volleyball Nations League 2023 live on VBTV

A Rio 2016 Olympic bronze medalist, 36-year-old opposite Matt Anderson was a key player in the American victory. He was a reliable scoring option for the team during the entire match and improved from the seven points he had scored against Italy on Wednesday to 18 against the Canadians, tallying 14 kills, one ace and three blocks.

Fellow Olympic medalist Aaron Russell also had a productive night against the Canadians, trailing only Anderson in points with 17. The 30-year-old outside hitter had 16 kills and one ace during the match.

On the Canadian side, opposite Arthur Szwarc was the leading scorer, with 13 points (12 kills, one block). He had one more than outside hitter Stephen Maar, who registered eight kills, one ace and three blocks.

The Americans benefited from their offensive efficiency (46 kills to Canada’s 36) to create the separation they needed to win the match – they also led in aces by five to one. Canada got one more point from opponent errors (19 to 18) while each side registered six blocks.

Volleyball Nations League 2023: full schedule and results

OTTAWA, Canada, June 10, 2023.- Cuba obtained their first victory at the Volleyball Nations League playing in Pool 1 at the TD Place in Ottawa, Canada. 

After three straight losses, the Caribbean upset Brazil, beating the South Americans in five sets (25-16, 22-25, 27-29, 25-22, 20-18).

Watch Volleyball Nations League 2023 live on VBTV

Opposite Jesús Herrera starred in the Cuban triumph, contributing 30 points to the result. Cuban outside hitter Marlon Yant added 19, with Brazil counting on 23 points from opposite Abouba Dramé and 20 from outside hitter Ricardo Lucarelli.

Cuba overpowered Brazil in every element of the game, leading 70-67 in kills, 14-8 in blocks and 5-2 in aces. Both committed similar number of unforced errors, Cuba (33) and Brazil (30).

Volleyball Nations League 2023: full schedule and results\

OTTAWA, Canada, June 9, 2023.-  After their opening win on home court on Tuesday over Cuba, Canada was stopped by Tokyo 2020 Olympic bronze medalists Argentina in four sets on Friday (21-25, 25-21, 21-25,16-25) in the first week of Volleyball Nations League action in Ottawa today. 

The opening set stayed even with the score tied at 16 points. Argentina’s solid defense and attack gave them the upper hand as they secured the win 25-21.

The South American squad kept the momentum early in the second set, but the hosts fought back and erased a three-point deficit to reach 12 points by side. Stephen Maar and Ryan Sclater  produced two aces to pave the way for a 25-21 win to tie the game.

The on-court battle remained even throughout the third set. With the score equal at 19, Argentina displayed a strong block, defense, and attack to claim victory 25-21.

The Olympic  bronze medallists kept the momentum in the fourth set. The attack and defense proved decisive as they built a sizable lead and went on to seal the set and match victory 25-16.

Next,  NORCECA duel between hosts Canada and the United States, at 20:00 local time (00:00 UTC, Sunday). 

OTTAWA, Canada, June 9, 2023.- The World champions topped Cuba 3-1 (25-20, 25-19, 20-25, 25-18) at the Volleyball Nations League at the TD Place, in the Canadian capital.

Cuba had three players reaching double digits in scoring, with outside hitters Miguel Ángel López and Marlon Yant registering 14 and 11 points respectively and middle blocker Javier Concepcion adding another ten.

The efficiency of the Italian offense provided the difference the Europeans needed to top Cuba as they scored 52 points from kills to Cuba’s 41. The two teams were pretty similar in everything else, with the winners doing slightly better in aces (five to three) and opponent errors (30 to 29) and the Cubans getting more blocking points (nine to eight).

Volleyball Nations League 2023: full schedule and results

Cuba concludes their schedule in Ottawa on Saturday, with the Caribbean meeting Brazil at 16:30 local time (20:30 UTC).  

OTTAWA, Canada, June 8, 2023.- The United States claimed their second victory in the Volleyball Nations League 2023 on Thursday, in Ottawa, Canada, when the Americans had no trouble overcoming reigning world champions Italy in Pool 1.

With Olympic medalists Matt Anderson and Max Holt both making their first appearances in the VNL 2023, the Americans secured a 3-0 (25-15, 25-18, 25-19) win over the Italians and continue with a perfect campaign of two wins and no sets dropped.

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Outside hitter Torey Defalco, who had scored 13 points in the team’s opening match against the Netherlands, on Wednesday, was again the American leading scorer, leaving the court with 15 points (nine kills, four aces, two blocks).

Head coach John Speraw also got excellent production from veterans Holt and Anderson as the 36-year-old middle blocker tallied ten points (seven kills, one ace, two blocks) and the 36-year-old opposite produced another seven (six kills, one ace). Outside hitter Garrett Muagututia, with nine points, and middle blocker Taylor Averill, with eight, also had strong performances.

“Our passing has been very good and I think that has helped us play that well in these first two matches,” setter and team captain Micah Christenson said. “It’s made my job a lot easier than it has to be, so all the credit to those guys. Having good depth and experience are two of our main strengths right now. We can insert guys here and there and we don’t really lose a step. We can still improve technically and in terms of connections and I’m sure it will clean up as we continue.”

The Americans were dominant in every aspect of the game, outscoring the Europeans in kills (33 to 30), aces (ten to four) and blocks (seven to one), besides also benefiting from more opponent errors (22 to 17) to build their victory.

The United States will get back on court on Saturday to face host Canada.

Volleyball Nations League 2023: full schedule and results

OTTAWA, Canada, June 8, 2023.- The Netherlands served Cuba their second consecutive loss at the Volleyball Nations League 3-0 (28-26, 25-23, 25-18) on Thursday in Ottawa, Canada.

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Cuba had opposite Jesús Herrera as their main scorer with 12 points, followed by middle blocker José Masso and outside hitter Miguel Ángel López, who produced ten each.

The Netherlands led in attacks (42-34), in blocks (6-5) and committed 25 errors against 29 from Cuba who led in aces (3-1).

Cuba will face the top world champions Italy on Friday.

Volleyball Nations League 2023: full schedule and results

OTTAWA, Canada, June 7, 2023.- Netherlands kept pushing but the U.S. Men’s National Team pushed back harder and won their opening Volleyball Nations League match 3-0 (25-19, 25-23, 25-21) on Wednesday in Ottawa, Canada.

The U.S. Men (1-0) will be back in action on Thursday when they will face world No. 4 Italy (0-1) at 1:30 p.m. PT.

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The U.S. Men led Netherlands in kills (41-36), blocks (8-2) and aces (6-3). The U.S. scored on 20 Netherlands errors while giving up 22 points on errors.

“That was the first match of the season. It looked like it,” U.S. Head Coach John Speraw said. “Even though we didn’t play as smooth volleyball as we will later in the season, I thought we still had a lot of confidence, a lot of poise. Guys didn’t seem very rattled at any point when they put a little pressure on us, which they did in the second and third sets.”

Outside hitter T.J. DeFalco led the U.S. Men with 13 points on 10 kills and three aces, which came in a row during the first set. Opposite Jake Hanes added 12 points on eight kills, two blocks and two aces.

Outside hitter Aaron Russell scored 11 points on nine kills and two blocks. Middle blocker David Smith scored 10 points on eight kills and two blocks. Middle Jeff Jendryk totaled five points on five kills.

Volleyball Nations League 2023: full schedule and results

OTTAWA, Canada, June 6, 2023.-  A new era has started well for the Canadian men’s national team as the North Americans defeated NORCECA rivals Cuba in the tie-breaker in their debut in the Volleyball Nations League 2023 on Tuesday to win their first official match under the guidance of new head coach Tuomas Sammelvuo.

Pushed by thousands of home fans that packed the TD Place, in Ottawa, and created a fantastic atmosphere, the Canadians won a five-set (25-21, 26-28, 25-21, 22-25, 15-13) thriller to begin their VNL 2023 campaign on the right foot.

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The match was the first official encounter of the team with Sammelvuo, who was hired at the end of the 2022 season. The former Finnish player had coached the team in a pair of friendly matches against Brazil last week, getting a win and a loss.

Opposite Ryan Sclater was a key piece in the Canadian victory, leading the team’s offense with 27 points (22 kills, one ace, four blocks). The 29-year-old player also scored the game-winning point in the tie-breaker.

“We want this fighting spirit to be a part of our identity”, Sclater commented. “We always want to keep fighting through the ups and downs of any game, so that was good to see. It’s fun to be that scrappy team that just loves to fight. Playing at home this week has been really fun. It’s going to be an amazing week.”

Outside hitters Stephen Maar and Nicholas Hoag also had strong performances, delivering 18 and 13 points, respectively. Middle blocker Danny Demyanenko also had a solid showing at the net, producing four blocks in his ten-point performance.

Cuba had the match’s top scorer in opposite Jesus Herrera, who beat Sclater by one point and ended the match with 28 (24 kills, two aces, two blocks). Outside hitters Miguel Angel Lopez and Marlon Yant tallied 15 points each, three more than middle blocker Javier Concepcion.

The Canadian blocking produced 17 points to Cuba’s six and strongly helped the winners make up for the Caribbean advantage in kills (75 to 58). The North Americans also benefited from more opponent errors (35 to 24), while both sides ended the match with three aces registered.

Volleyball Nations League 2023: full schedule and results

The second day of action in Pool 1 in Ottawa, Wednesday will have two more matches, with the United States and the Netherlands battling at 16:30 local time (20:30 UTC), and Brazil and Germany clashing at 20:00 local time (00:00 UTC, Thursday).

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic, June 5, 2023.- Canada, Cuba and the United States men’s teams are set to begin the Volleyball Nations League (VNL) on Tuesday June 6 in Ottawa, Canada.

It’s the men’s turn now on the Volleyball Nations League 2023. After the women opened the fifth edition of the event in a spectacular way last week in Antalya, Türkiye, and Nagoya, Japan, the top men’s national teams on the planet will now start their race for the title.

United States won the bronze medal in the first edition in 2018, and silver medals in 2019 and last year. Canadians were 15th in the 2022 VNL and Cuba will appear in the VNL for the first time after winning the 2022 FIVB Challenger Cup.

While Nagoya will continue to serve as host for the VNL 2023, welcoming Pool 2 competition, the Canadian city of Ottawa will also get involved, hosting 16 matches between Tuesday and Sunday at the TD Place.

For more on the competition: VNL 2023

Reigning world champions Italy lead the eight teams set to compete over the week in the Canadian capital in a list that also includes 2021 VNL champions Brazil, Tokyo Olympic bronze medalists Argentina, last year’s VNL runners-up the United States, hosts Canada, Cuba, the Netherlands and Germany.

The first match in Ottawa, set to take place on Tuesday, at 16:30 local time (20:30 UTC), will reunite two heavyweights, with world champions Italy battling Argentina. The Italians had a strong preparation for the VNL, securing wins over the Netherlands and Bulgaria ahead of the start of the event while the Argentineans beat Cuba once in two matches in Tecnopolis last week.

Later on the same day, at 20:00 local time (00:00 UTC, Wednesday) hosts Canada will play their first official match under the guidance of new head coach Tuomas Sammelvuo against NORCECA rivals Cuba. The North Americans played Brazil twice in friendly matches last week, splitting wins with the South Americans.

The debut of international powerhouses and VNL medallists the United States and Brazil will generate excitement on Wednesday. The Americans will play first, against the Netherlands, at 16:30 local time (20:30 UTC), with the Brazilians facing the Germans later, at 20:00 local time (00:00 UTC, Thursday).

Thursday will be the first day with three matches and the two later ones will probably draw the most attention, with world champions Italy battling the United States at 16:30 local time (20:30 UTC) and the South American Derby between Brazil and Argentina completing the schedule at 20:00 local time (00:00 UTC, Friday).

Friday’s encounter between Italy and Cuba, set to begin at 16:30 local time (20:30 UTC), will promote some reunions as most of the key Cuban players, such as outside hitters Marlon Yant and Osniel Melgarejo, middle blocker Robertlandy Simon and opposite Jesus Herrera, all play in the Italian SuperLega Credem Banca.

Another continental Derby will take place on Saturday, with hosts Canada facing the United States in the last match of the day, set to start at 20:00 local time (00:00 UTC, Sunday). The Americans will have another difficult encounter before leaving Ottawa as they battle Brazil on Sunday, at 14:30 local time (18:30 UTC).

Nagoya’s Pool 1 matches will also take place from Tuesday to Sunday and will feature the national teams of Bulgaria, China, France, Iran, Japan, Poland, Serbia and Slovenia.

The VNL Preliminary Phase will feature three weeks of competition, with each of the 16 teams playing 12 matches. The eight best-ranked national teams in the Preliminary Phase will qualify for the Final Phase, which will be held in Gdańsk, Poland, from July 19-23 – host country Poland are already guaranteed a spot.

ANTALYA, Türkiye, June 4, 2023.- The U.S. Women’s National Team finished its first round of Volleyball Nations League (VNL) at 4-0 after beating host Türkiye 3-2 (25-22, 25-22, 22-25, 11-25, 15-9) on Sunday in Antalya.

This was the U.S. Women’s third five-set win of the first four matches. An estimated crowd of 10,500 filled Antalya Arena.

Watch Volleyball Nations League 2023 live on VBTV

“Honestly, this was really special to play in,” U.S. opposite Annie Drews said. “To see the way Turkish fans value volleyball is really  incredible. This is a match I don’t think I’ll forget for a very long time.”

The U.S. Women will be back on the court on June 13 when they play Croatia in Brasilia, Brazil.

The U.S. Women edged Türkiye in kills (62-61). Türkiye led in blocks (13-3) and aces (8-3). The U.S. scored 30 points on Türkiye errors while losing 21 points.

“Honestly, after the fourth set, we were in the mud,” Drews said. “We could not be further in a hole. But we (said), ‘We’re going to be there. We’re going to climb our way out of it. So just (take it) one at a time.”

Drews led the U.S. scoring with 19 points on 17 kills and two aces. Outside hitter Avery Skinner added 16 points on 16 kills. Khalia Lanier scored 12 points on 11 kills and one ace.

Setter Micha Hancock led the team in digs with 13 and scored four points on three kills and one ace. Libero Justine Wong-Orantes was credited with 12 digs and four successful receptions. Skinner and Lanier each had seven successful receptions.

Among other scorers, middle blocker Dana Rettke scored nine points on eight kills and one block. Middle Asjia O’Neal, who took over for Brionne Butler in the second set, scored five points on four kills and one block. Butler had three points on three kills.

Opposite Danielle Cuttino, outside hitter Roni Jones-Perry and outside Brooke Nuneviller all played as substitutes.

Volleyball Nations League 2023: full schedule and results

ANTALYA, Türkiye, June 4, 2023.-  Canada’s women’s volleyball team, for its first time in recent history, defeated Serbia, reigning World Champion team and 2020 Olympic bronze medalist.

Canada beat Serbia 3-2 (18-25, 28-26, 25-23, 18-25, 15-12) to wrap up the team’s first week of Volleyball Nations League (VNL) in Antalya, Türkiye today. 

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Outside hitter Hilary Howe of Calgary contributed 24 points; Alexa Gray, also from Calgary, added 23 for Canada

“Our aim was to be that team that never goes away,” explains Head Coach Shannon Winzer. “We maintained our composure even when things weren’t going our way and I think we can find a lot of confidence from this game knowing we don’t have to be perfect to win games, we just need to play with a sense of urgency in key moments. Tonight was a team effort with big plays from multiple players, and a great way to finish round one.”
 
Canada is 2-2 so far in VNL, and will now get ready for their next leg in Hong Kong, China, beginning on June 13.
 
Volleyball Nations League 2023: full schedule and results

ANTALYA, Türkiye, June 3, 2023.- Olympic champions the United States maintained their record clean in Antalya, topping Korea 3-0 (25-16, 27-25, 25-11) to secure their third win in the opening week of the Volleyball Nations League 2023.

Watch Volleyball Nations League 2023 live on VBTV

Volleyball Nations League 2023: full schedule and results

Opposite Danielle Cuttino was the main offensive option for the Americans, registering 19 points (11 kills, two aces, six blocks), five more than outside hitter Avery Skinner. Outside hitter Pyo Seungju was the only Korean player to score in double digits, leaving the court with 11 points (nine kills, two blocks).

Also undefeated in Antalya are host Türkiye and Poland who became the first team to get four wins in the 2023 VNL.

One of USA or Türkiye will face their first defeat in the VNL 2023 on Sunday as the teams meet in the last match of the week in Antalya, set to begin at 20:00 local time (17:00 UTC).

NAGOYA, Japan, June 3, 2023.- Dominican Republic finished their Nagoya campaign on 2-2 and four points, after losing to Brazil 3-1 (27-25, 20-25, 25-21, 27-25) in a Pool 2 game on Saturday at the Volleyball Nations League 2023.

Watch Volleyball Nations League 2023 live on VBTV

Dominican opposite Gaila Gonzalez was the best scorer of the match. She fuelled her team’s battle against the mighty opponents with 22 points, including three blocks and an ace. Overall, the Dominicans outblocked Brazil by 14 to 11, with the Martinez sisters (Jineiry with four and Brayelin with three) delivering seven of these stuffs between them.

Dominican Republic recovered from the four-point deficit they had at 16-12 and gradually levelled the score at 23-23 to prompt an exciting epilogue. On Brazil’s third set point, Ana Cristina fired a block-out shot for the ninth point on her tally and the last one in the first set – 27-25. After 8-8 in the second set, the Dominicans took control of the scoreboard for good. Jineiry Martinez dominated over the net and, finally, she crowned a series of three Dominican points with a monster block, her third for the set, to level the match at 25-20.

The South Americans had the lead, sometimes as wide as four points, for the most part of the third set, but their opponents kept fighting. At 18-18 was the last time the score was level in this set. Brazil broke away again and, at their first set point, libero Natalia Araujo practically scored the 25-21 winner after the opposition failed to handle the ball she sent over with a spectacular dig. In set four, Dominican Republic was once again competitive enough to recover from the seven-point lag they had at 18-11. In the money time, Brazil even had to deny two Dominican set points before converting their first match point to a 27-25 win on a block-out kill by opposite Lorrayna Da Silva.

ANTALYA, Türkiye, June 2, 2023.- Led by their talented setter Micha Hancock the Olympic champions the United States topped Italy in the tie-breaker to remain undefeated surviving  their second big test in three days on Friday and continue on a roll in the opening week of the Volleyball Nations League 2023 in Antalya, Türkiye.

Two days after making their debut in this year’s edition of the tournament with a dramatic five-set victory over reigning world champions Serbia, the Americans played another tie-breaker in order to overcome defending VNL champions Italy 3-2 (25-16, 14-25, 22-25, 25-20, 15-9) in Pool 1 at the Antalya Sports Hall.

Watch Volleyball Nations League 2023 live on VBTV

Setter and team captain Micha Hancock ran the American offense brilliantly, having all her five starting hitters leave the court with more than ten points. The 30-year-old, left-handed setter also scored a couple of points herself, with a kill and a block.

“It was an all-team effort,” she said. “Everyone was ready to come off the bench. Italy is a great team and a lot of us play club there, so they know us well. It’s always interesting when we play them, so I knew that getting everyone involved would make the match harder for them. My job is pretty easy. All these girls have very long arms, so all I have to do is get the ball up for them. We have a relentless attitude when we’re all together and it’s just fun to see a bunch of young girls doing so well.”

Getting on the end of Hancock’s sets, outside hitters Khalia Lanier (16 points) and Veronica Perry-Jones (15), middle blockers Dana Rettke (14) and Asjia O’Neal (11) and opposite Annie Drews (12) all reached double digits in scoring.

Despite the defeat, Italy had three top scorers in the match in opposite Sylvia Nwakalor, who scored 20 points (17 kills, three blocks), and outside hitters Loveth Omoruyi and Myriam Sylla, who produced 17 and 16, respectively.

The number of errors produced by the Italians proved to be the major difference in the match as the Europeans handed 31 points to the Americans, who generated 22 for their opponents. There was great balance in kills, with Italy leading 60-58, blocks, with nine for each side, and aces, with the Europeans having a 4-3 advantage.

Volleyball Nations League 2023: full schedule and results

On Saturday the United States will face Korea at 17:00 local time (14:00 UTC).

ANTALYA, Türkiye, June 2, 2023.- Canada celebrated their first victory in the VNL 2023 with a sweep (25-17, 25-16, 25-18) of Korea in Antalya, Türkiye.

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Volleyball Nations League 2023: full schedule and results

Middle blocker Layne Van Buskirk and outside hitter Alexa Gray led the North American’s victory with 18 and 11 points, respectively – outside hitter Kim Miyoun produced ten points for Korea.

Canada led in attacks (42-35), blocks (11-3) and aces (3-1).

Canada will get back on the court on Sunday against Serbia at 17:00 local time (14:00 UTC).

NAGOYA, Japan, June 2, 2023.- Dominican Republic produced a 3-2 (25-18, 22-25, 25-18, 21-25, 15-11) victory over the Netherlands, their second at the 2023 Women’s Volleyball Nations League , after edging Bulgaria on Thursday.

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Volleyball Nations League 2023: full schedule and results

Dominicans left the Dutch still winless in three matches of the competition.

Brayelin Martinez was once again the top scorer of the match, contributing 25 points, including three blocks, to the victory, while opposite Gaila Gonzalez added another 22, including three blocks and two aces.

Dominican Republic led 13-9 in blocks and the Netherlands with a slight 62-61 in kills. Both teams scored on six aces.

Dominican Republic will finish their Nagoya campaign on June 3 against Brazil.

ANTALYA, Türkiye, June 1, 2023.- Canada lost to Thailand in straight sets 3-0 (25-17, 26-24, 25-21)in their second match of the 2023 Women’s Volleyball Nations League in Antalya, Türkiye.

Thailand prevailed on 45-34 advantage in kills and produced 6 aces against one from Canada who controlled in blocks with 11-6 margin.

Middle blocker Layne Van Buskirk and outside hitter Alexa Gray, both with ten points, were Canada’s leading scorers. Layne’s 10 points came from 6 kills and 4 blocks, while Alexa scored 8 kills, one block and one ace. Emily Maglio added another 9 points (5 kills, 4 blocks).

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Volleyball Nations League 2023: full schedule and results

This was Canada’s second loss of the event. They will get back on action on Friday June 2 against Korea.  

NAGOYA, Japan, June 1, 2023.- The Dominican Republic earned their first 2023 Volleyball Nations League managing to come back twice stunning-five sets 3-2 (22-25, 25-16, 16-25, 25-14, 15-11) over Bulgaria.

Dominicans recovered from falling in the first and third sets with Brayelin Martinez as the best scorer of the game with 25 points to her name, including two kill blocks. Opposite Gaila Gonzalez added another 19 points towards the victory, while Elena Becheva was Bulgaria’s most prolific player with 17 points.

Watch Volleyball Nations League 2023 live on VBTV

Volleyball Nations League 2023: full schedule and results

Dominican Republic held advantages in attacks (78-52) and in blocks (10-5), Bulgaria did better in points from serves (8-4).

Dominican Republic’s third match in Pool 1 is on Friday June 2 against the Netherlands.

ANTALYA, Türkiye, May 31, 2023.- The Olympic champion opposite had help from newcomers Skinner and Lanier as the Americans defeated the world champions in Antalya, Türkiye.

Helped by a pair of talented new faces, Annie Drews shone the brightest in the duel between the reigning Olympic champions and the defending world champions on the second day of the Volleyball Nations League 2023 and led the United States to a big win over Serbia in Antalya, Türkiye, on Wednesday.

The Pool 1 encounter held at the Antalya Sports Hall ended with a five-set (25-20, 19-25, 21-25, 25-21, 15-12) victory for the Americans, who started their push to return to the top of the podium in the VNL with a strong result – they won gold in 2018, 2019 and 2021 before finishing fifth in 2022.

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One of three Olympic champions selected by head coach Karch Kiraly to lead a young roster in the opening week of the VNL in Antalya, Drews embraced the responsibility and tallied a match-high 25 points in the American win – the 29-year-old opposite had 22 kills, two aces and one block in the duel with the Serbians.

The Americans had several other individual standouts in their big victory over Serbia and among them were 24-year-old rookie outside hitters Avery Skinner and Khalia Lanier, who delivered 19 and 16 points respectively in their first VNL match.

“I think that for us it was just about focusing on our side,” Skinner commented. “We couldn’t control what Serbia was doing and they were playing an amazing match. We just realized what we could do and fought together. We had a lot of players coming in and making so much of a difference. This is really important and will carry us far. Everyone came in very confident and did what they had to do to help us. I think Khalia and I, with this being our first VNL match, we just tried to play with no pressure. We had nothing to lose, so we played really free and that helped us.”

Other key contributors to the American victory were middle blocker Brionne Butler, who dominated the net with eight blocks to go with five kills, setter and captain Micha Hancock, who besides running the team’s offense also scored three points, and libero Justine Wong-Orantes, who did a solid job on the backcourt.

Blocking was a major difference between the teams as the Americans produced 13 stops to eight from the Europeans. The Olympic champions were also better offensively (67 to 61 kills), but the Serbians were slightly more productive from the service line (six aces to five) and got more points from opponent errors (27 to 20).

Serbian captain Ana Bjelica led her team’s offense, producing 19 points with 17 kills and two aces. Outside hitters Bianka Busa (15) and Sara Lozo (12) and middle blocker Maja Aleksic (13) also scored in double digits in the first match of the world champions under the guidance of Italian head coach Giovanni Guidetti.

Serbia had won the three most recent encounters with the Americans, having knocked the Olympic champions out of the VNL 2022 in the quarterfinals and ending their 2022 FIVB Volleyball Women’s World Championship run in the semifinals.

Volleyball Nations League 2023: full schedule and results

The world and the Olympic champions will both have difficult challenges in their second matches in Antalya with Serbia getting back on the court on Thursday, at 20:00 local time (17:00 UTC), to face Türkiye, and the USA playing again on Friday, at the same time, against reigning VNL champions Italy.

ANTALYA, Türkiye, May 30, 2023.- Poland defeated Canada in a five set thriller 3-2 (20-25, 25-23, 20-25, 25-23, 15-13) in opening day of the Women’s Volleyball Nations League in Antalya, Türkiye.

Canadian outside hitter Alexa Gray became the first player to break the 30-point mark in the VNL 2023, leaving the court with 37 (36 kills, one block) against the Poles. The Europeans had opposite Magdalena Stysiak, with 20 points (15 kills, one ace, four blocks), and outside hitter Olivia Rozanski, with 17 (15 kills, one block, one ace) as their main scorers.

Watch Volleyball Nations League 2023 live on VBTV

Volleyball Nations League 2023: full schedule and results

Canada led 68-63 in attacks and scored on 27 opponent errors while committing 25. Poland controlled 13-10 in blocks and 4-3 in aces.

Canada´s next match in Pool 1 is on June 1st against Thailand who lost to Italy also in five sets.

NAGOYA, Japan, May 30, 2023.- Outside hitter Sarina Koga led hosts Japan to a 3-1 (25-23, 25-18, 22-25, 25-15) victory over the Dominican Republic in both teams’ opening Volleyball Nations League 2023 Pool 2 match in Nagoya on Tuesday.

Watch Volleyball Nations League 2023 live on VBTV

Volleyball Nations League 2023: full schedule and results

Brayelin Martinez was Dominican Republic’s best scorer with 16 points and her sister and teammate Jineiry in the middle also raised five kill blocks, the only element at which the Caribbeans slightly outscored their Asian opponents.

The Dominicans rushed off with an early 8-2 lead but inspired by the home fans and led by their captain Koga, Japan battled back to catch up at 18-18 and then pushed forward to close the first set at 25-23. Further improving their attack and their blocking, the home side completely dominated the second set. Three kill blocks from Irisawa helped them open a wide gap on the way to a 25-18 close, shaped up with a smart shot from Koga for the winning point.

The third set was closely contested, with the lead swinging back and forth. With Yonkaira Peña spearheading the Dominican attack and Brayelin Martinez setting off a momentum with two consecutive aces for 20-18, the girls from the Caribbean stayed cooler and a monster block by Lisvel Eve ended the set at 25-22. Japan regained full control in set four. Five points in a row gave them a 7-2 lead and they never looked back, cruising on to a 25-15 close with sub-in Mizuki Tanaka delivering the match winner.

Dominican Republic will be back in action on Thursday with a game against Bulgaria.

GATINEAU, Canada, May 4, 2023.- Ahead of the highly anticipated Volleyball Nationals League (VNL) 2023, Canada will host volleyball powerhouse Brazil at the Centre Sportif de Gatineau, which also serves as the men’s training centre.

Under the guidance of Canada’s new head coach Tuomas Sammelvuo, the team will use these “friendly” matches to prepare for Volleyball Nations League the following week in Ottawa.

Both matches in Gatineau, Quebec, will be up-close and action packed, with great opportunities for fans to interact with some of the world’s top volleyball players! Schedule: June 1 @ 7pm; June 2 @ 7pm

Groups of 15 people or more can contact Matheus Braz at mbraz@volleyball.ca for the group discount!

Single tickets are available at Eventbrite.ca

Ottawa is hosting week one of the men’s 2023 Volleyball Nations League tournament – June 6 to 11, 2023 at the Arena at TD Place. The teams include Canada, USA, Argentina, Italy, Cuba, Germany, Netherlands and Brazil. All tickets are on sale at www.tdplace.ca