2023 VNL June 2 Summary: USA Beat Italy, Poland Third Win

The fourth day of VNL 2023 on June 2, 2023 featured six matches across two pools. In the first game of the day, China swept past Germany with a 3-0 victory (25-19, 25-20, 25-22). According to Volleyball World, head coach of China, Cai Bin, praised his team’s ability to control the tempo of the game and display strong defense throughout.

The second game, played in Nagoya, was a nail-biter as the Dominican Republic emerged victorious in a five-set thriller against the Netherlands, winning 3-2 (25-18, 22-25, 25-18, 21-25, 15-11). The Queen of Caribbeans’ Brayelin Martinez was the game’s top scorer, contributing 25 points, while the Netherlands’ opposite Elles Dambrink scored 24 points, despite her team’s loss.

In the final match of the day in Nagoya, Japan secured their second win of the tournament, defeating Croatia 3-0 (25-17, 25-19, 25-20).

In pool 1, Poland continued their winning streak, dispatching Thailand in straight sets (20-25, 16-25, 15-25) with a strong display. Meanwhile, Canada claimed their first victory of the tournament, defeating South Korea in a straightforward fashion with a three-set win (25-17, 25-16, 25-18). Middle blocker Layne Van Buskirk scored 18 points for the winning side, leading the team to victory.

The last match of the day was a thrilling encounter between Olympic champions USA and defending champions Italy. The match ended in a 3-2 victory for the North American side (25-16, 14-25, 22-25, 25-20, 15-9). According to Volleyball World, USA coach Karch Kiraly praised his team’s ability to overcome tough opponents Serbia and Italy and was pleased with the performance of the young players on the team.

(Featured image source: Volleyball World)

(Written by Boris CHUNG Bok Man)