2026 VNL June 4: Netherlands, Ukraine, Canada Complete Upsets

On the second day of the 2026 VNL, six thrilling matches across three pools were played, with significant upsets and intense battles.

Pool 3 (Nanjing, China)

The day began in Nanjing, where Poland defeated Czechia in straight sets (25-22, 25-22, 25-20) to make it two wins in two. In a post-match interview with VBTV, Poland head coach Stefano Lavarini said that starting the competition was always difficult, combining strong opponents with the number of new players, and collecting two victories in the first two matches was the best of expectations. He also shared that after the previous day’s game against Belgium, they had reflected on their first touch, and on this day they improved in that area, so he was very happy about the results and the team.

The second match in Pool 3 saw host China defeat Thailand in five sets (25-14, 24-26, 25-19, 23-25, 15-7). Chinese outside hitter Zhuang Yushan scored 21 points, becoming the top scorer of the match. It was a massive improvement from the previous day’s 3-0 loss against Czechia, where Zhuang scored only 7 points. After the match, it was reported that Zhuang was hugging her mother and was visibly emotional, especially with the pressure from the previous day’s loss and with the absence of her outside hitter teammates Wu Mengjie and Li Yingying.

Pool 2 (Brasilia, Brazil)

Over to Pool 2 in Brasilia, Netherlands dominated 2025 World Championship silver medalist Türkiye in straight sets (25-23, 25-17, 25-18) to complete the first upset of the day. In a post-match interview with VBTV, Netherlands head coach Felix Koslowski commented that the most important thing was that they overcame the difficult situation in the first set, where they could not really find their rhythm at the start, and then step by step with good service, some blocks, and defense, their confidence grew and grew as the match went on.

In the second match of the day in Brasilia, Brazil turned the match around after the first set to defeat Dominican Republic 3-1 (23-25, 25-18, 25-11, 25-15). In an interview with VBTV after the match, Brazilian opposite Rosamaria praised Dominican Republic as a very strong team and credited the victory to her team’s mentality and unity. With nearly 9,000 fans in the gymnasium, she also expressed happiness for having home fans cheering for them, calling them “a player inside the court.”

Pool 1 (Quebec City, Canada)

In Pool 1 in Quebec City, Ukraine upset Germany in a five set thriller (25-21, 30-28, 14-25, 19-25, 15-13) to deny a comeback by Germany. As VNL debutants, this was the first win in the VNL for Ukraine. In a post-match interview with VBTV, Ukraine head coach Jakub Głuszak praised his team for showing that they never give up, that they have quality, and that they can compete with the strongest teams in the world. He said this match was a surprise by the team, and expressed happiness while congratulating his players and staff for winning.

In the final match of the day, Canada excited the home crowd and defeated USA in straight sets (25-22, 25-22, 30-28). In set three of the match, Canada completed an impressive comeback. Down 16-23, two points from losing the set and seven points from leveling, they chased to 20-24 and ultimately won the set 30-28 to sweep USA and finish the upset.

(Featured image source: Volleyball World)

(Written by Boris CHUNG Bok Man)