VNL 2023 Pool 4: USA, Japan, Brazil Secure Win

On June 15, in Pool 4 of the VNL’s Week 2, the USA secured a 3-0 victory (25-21, 25-18, 25-16) against Thailand, becoming the second team alongside Poland to achieve six victories. Jordan Thompson, the Opposite for the USA, was the top scorer of the match, scoring 15 points in three sets. According to Volleyball World, USA player O’Neal revealed that their focus was on blocking to counter Thailand’s fast offense. They controlled their side of the court, remained calm at the net, and waited for a chance to score when Thailand made a mistake. The USA’s game plan and execution resulted in a 3-0 win.

In the second match of the day in Brasilia, Japan defeated South Korea in straight sets (25-18, 25-13, 25-19), claiming their fourth victory after playing six matches. Meanwhile, the South Korean side is still yet to win a set in the tournament.

In the final match of the day in Pool 4, Brazil delivered a hard-fought five-set victory (23-25, 25-22, 21-25, 25-12, 15-11) against Serbia in front of their home fans. This win was their fifth in the tournament, while Serbia has only won one out of six matches played. Brazilian middle blocker Thaisa Menezes, who has just returned to the national team, was the top scorer of the match, scoring 18 points for the winning side.

(Featured image source: Volleyball World)

(Written by Boris CHUNG Bok Man)