2026 VNL Jun 19: Sato and Zhuang Shine as Japan and China Sweep

Week 2 of VNL 2026 continued with six matches across three pools, featuring Japan’s sixth straight win, Zhuang Yushan’s fifth consecutive match as top scorer, and a successful challenge that kept Japan’s sweep alive.

Pool 5 (Pasig, Philippines)

The first match of the day was a matchup between Serbia and the Dominican Republic in Pool 5, where Serbia won 3-0 (25-19, 25-23, 25-18) to secure their second win of the tournament in seven matches. The Dominican Republic remains winless after six matches. In a post-match interview with VBTV, Dominican Republic head coach Marcos Kwiek said that qualifying for the finals is now almost impossible. He added that the team has a different focus, trying to recover some players with an important continental championship coming up later, so this tournament is part of that process.

The next match in Pasig City saw Japan defeat Czechia in straight sets (25-15, 25-23, 27-25) to extend their unbeaten streak to six matches. Czechia’s record fell to 3-4. Japanese outside hitter Yoshino Sato scored an impressive 21 points in just three sets, including 10 in the first set alone, to help her side continue their perfect run. In the third set, Czechia appeared to have won it at 26-24, but Japan successfully challenged a floor touch call, overturning the point and keeping their hopes of a straight set sweep alive. Japan converted the set and won the match.

Pool 6 (Bangkok, Thailand)

Moving to Pool 6, the day in Bangkok started with the Netherlands defeating Ukraine in straight sets (25-22, 25-17, 25-20) to improve their record to 3-3. Ukraine fell to 2-5. In a post-match interview with VBTV, Ukraine coach Jakub Głuszak said that in set three they changed their direction of attack, but also started having problems with reception. He noted that the Netherlands set up a really good block, making it difficult to score points. He said his team may have lost some self confidence but they need to break through and be ready for such situations next time.

The second match of the day in Bangkok saw Canada defeat Bulgaria 3-1 (25-17, 23-25, 25-23, 28-26) to secure their fourth win in six matches. Bulgaria remains on one win in seven matches. In a post-match interview with VBTV, Canada head coach Giovanni Guidetti said he was extremely happy with the result because they got three points given how the match went. He said he is unsure if they deserved all three points, but for sure they have to improve a lot as they made many errors. He added that they have the potential to be a very strong team but are still far from the level they want to be

Pool 4 (Ankara, Türkiye)

In Pool 4, the first match of the day saw China dominate France in straight sets (25-18, 25-17, 25-19) to improve their record to 5-1. France remains on one win after seven matches. Zhuang Yushan delivered another stellar performance, scoring 20 points to lead all scorers and help China secure their fifth consecutive win. This was also Zhuang’s fifth straight match as top scorer. In the third set, China trailed 10-15 before going on an 8-0 run to turn the score around to 18-15, ultimately closing out the set and the match at 25-19.

In the final match of the matchday, Germany cruised past Belgium in straight sets (25-20, 25-19, 25-21) to secure their second win in six matches. Belgium’s record fell to 2-5. In a post-match interview with VBTV, Belgium head coach Kris Vansnick complimented Germany for their work and said they set a great example of how to play in defense. He said his team has a day off to analyze the game and hopefully learn from it.

(Featured image source: Volleyball World)

(Written by Boris CHUNG Bok Man)