After three weeks of intense Volleyball Nations League action, the playing field for the final round has already taken shape. Besides hosts Poland, Italy, Brazil, Japan, and Turkey have already booked their tickets to Lodz, following a positive run of Volleyball Nations League 2025 results, so there are three more spots available.
Germany, China, and the United States are clinging to the sixth to eighth spots, with the Netherlands and the Czech Republic not far behind. Meanwhile, the Dominican Republic, France, Bulgaria, Belgium, Canada, Serbia, Thailand, and South Korea have already been eliminated.
We still have seven more games in Pools 7, 8, and 9 to determine the final pecking order. Fans in Apeldoorn, Arlington, and Chiba will be treated to more fun volleyball action to round out the week.
Japan were relentless against South Korea
Japan notched a 3-0 (25-21, 27-25, 25-22) victory over a hapless South Korea squad yesterday to clinch their spot in the final round. The hosts improved to an 8-2 record, while South Korea dropped to 1-9, putting them on opposite sides in the Volleyball Nations League standings.
After a one-sided opening set, South Korea put up a fight against their Asian neighbours, clawing their way back from a five-point deficit to push it to overtime. However, Japan held their nerve and took the second set on the fifth set point.
South Korea’s spirited performance in the second set gave them some confidence in the final set, as they opened a 20-16 lead. But Japan replied with seven consecutive points to win the match, with the help of Ayane Kitamodo’s pivotal serve and Nichika Yamada’s clincher.
Outside hitter Yukiko Wada led Japan with a match-high 18 points (16 kills and two aces). Fellow outside hitters Yoshino Sato and Miku Akimoto added 17 points (17 kills) and 11 points (10 kills, one block). Wada is now the joint-fifth top scorer in the Volleyball Nations League with a total of 167 points (153 kills, four blocks, 10 aces).
Outside hitter Sohwi Kang scored 14 points (14 kills) in the losing effort, and Seoyoung Yuk was the only other player who had double-digit points for South Korea with 10 points (10 kills).
China are one step closer to Lodz
China registered a 3-2 (25-22, 17-25, 22-25, 25-22, 15-13) victory over the Dominican Republic yesterday at College Park Center to move one step closer to qualifying for the final round. China improved to a 6-3 record, while the Dominican Republic are officially eliminated after dropping to 4-6.
China showcased their resilience against the Queens of the Caribbean, as they were not to be denied after going down 2-1. Outsider hitter Mengjie Wu was instrumental in the win, leading her team with 25 points (22 kills, two aces, one block), marking her fourth consecutive match with at least 24 points. Team captain and opposite Gong Xiangyu overcame a slow start and finished as China’s second-most productive player with 18 points (16 kills, two blocks). Yushan Zhang and Houyu Chen added 14 points (10 kills, four blocks) and 12 points (five kills, four blocks, three aces).
They withstood big nights from Brayelin Martinez, who produced 33 points (28 kills, five blocks), and Gaila Gonzalez, who had 22 points (17 kills, five aces). The Dominican Republic had the edge in kills (74-65) and aces (8-6), but China’s blocking (15 to 10) helped offset it.
Losing streak dooms Thailand
Since their 3-1 (25-14, 19-25, 25-23, 25-13) win against France in Pool 3 during the first week, Thailand have gone on to lose their next six matches, with their latest being a 3-0 (26-24, 25-19, 25-11) result against Germany last night to drop to 1-9. This result helped Germany inch closer to the final round, while the SBOTOP Volleyball Nations League 2025 odds now have Thailand as a potential relegation candidate.
Outside hitters Lina Alsmeier and Lena Strigrot spearheaded Germany’s offence, with the former notching a match-high 16 points (13 kills, two blocks, one ace) and the latter recording 15 points (14 kills, one block). Team captain and middle blocker Camilla Weitzel added 12 points (eight kills, one block, three aces). Star opposite Pimpichaya Kokram was the only Thai with double-digit points, registering 13 points (11 kills, two blocks).
“Germany also deserves a lot of credit for a great performance. They served really hard and were very good at attacking and blocking. But we’re still very hungry to win and our players are in great spirits, so we’ll try to do it in our next match,” Thailand head coach Kiattipong Radchatagriengkai said post-match.
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