2025 VNL Jul 13: S Korea Relegated, Italy Perfect Record

The 2025 Volleyball Nations League (VNL) preliminary round concluded on July 13th, with all 16 teams in action on the final day to determine their final standings and quarterfinal seeding.

In Chiba, the day began with France securing a 3-0 victory (25-17, 25-19, 25-21) over South Korea. The win brought France’s final record to 5-7. South Korea finished their campaign with just one win and five points, meaning their relegation status would depend entirely on the result of Thailand’s final match later in the day.

The second match in Chiba saw Poland dominate Bulgaria in straight sets (25-13, 25-19, 25-17). Poland finished the preliminary round with a record of nine wins, while Bulgaria ended their tournament with four wins and eight losses.

The final match in Japan featured a clash between Brazil and the host nation. Brazil proved too strong, defeating Japan 3-0 (25-17, 25-18, 25-20) to finish an impressive preliminary round with 11 wins and just one loss. Meanwhile, Japan finished with a record of nine wins and three losses.

Over in Pool 7 in Apeldoorn, the first match saw Belgium defeat Czechia 3-1 (19-25, 25-23, 25-17, 25-21). The victory improved Belgium’s final record to 4-8, while Czechia finished their VNL campaign with five wins and seven losses.

The second match in Apeldoorn was a highlight, as Italy defeated the Netherlands 3-0 (25-23, 28-26, 25-18) to finish the preliminary round with a perfect record of 12 wins and zero losses. Opposite Antropova scored an impressive 25 points in just three sets to help Italy secure the victory. They head into the final round as the top seed and are only the second team in VNL history to achieve a perfect record, after Brazil accomplished the feat last year. The Netherlands finished with a 5-7 record.

The final match in the Netherlands saw Serbia sweep Türkiye 3-0 (25-18, 25-20, 25-18). Serbia finished the competition with three wins and nine losses. Captain Bošković was instrumental in the victory, scoring an impressive 21 points in just three sets. Türkiye finished their preliminary round with eight wins and four losses.

In Pool 8 in Arlington, the day started with Germany defeating the Dominican Republic 3-1 (25-20, 25-13, 21-25, 25-21). Germany finished the preliminary round with a winning record of 7-5, while the Dominican Republic ended their VNL campaign at 5-7.

The second match in Arlington provided the day’s major drama, as Canada defeated Thailand 3-2. Despite losing the match, Thailand gained one crucial point in the standings. This gave them a final tally of one win and six points, which was just enough to pass South Korea (one win and five points) and avoid relegation, meaning South Korea was relegated from the VNL.

The final match of the entire 2025 VNL preliminary round was a thriller, where China mounted an impressive comeback against the USA to win 3-2 (18-25, 19-25, 25-21, 25-16, 18-16). This victory improved China’s record to 9-3, while USA finished the preliminary round with a 7-5 record. Despite the loss, USA outside hitter Franklin was the match’s top scorer, putting up 32 points for the American side.

These results finalized the quarterfinal matchups:
Italy (1) vs USA (8)
Brazil (2) vs Germany (7)
Japan (3) vs Türkiye (6)
Poland (4, Hosts) vs China (5).

(Featured image source: Volleyball World)

(Written by Boris CHUNG Bok Man)