The women's national team of the Dominican Republic recorded their second victory in the Volleyball Nations League 2026, after dramatically overcoming Ukraine 3:2 (25:17, 25:16, 22:25, 19:25, 15:13) in a match from the third week in Hong Kong.
The success of the Dominicans sent Bulgaria to the last, 18th place in the temporary VNL standings even before today's match of the national team against the Czech Republic.
It seems, however, that the true 'rubicon' match for the Bulgarian team will be the direct clash with France on Saturday. It is the French women who are Bulgaria's direct competitor in the battle for remaining in the elite, and this match could prove decisive for the final ranking.
The match between Ukraine and the Dominican Republic offered true drama. The Caribbean team started much more confidently and won the first two sets 25:17 and 25:16.
However, Yakub Gluszak's Ukrainian team showed character and managed to change the course of the match. They reduced the deficit after 25:22 in the third set, and then convincingly took the fourth part 25:19, forcing the match into a tie-break.
In the decisive fifth set, Ukraine found itself in a difficult situation, trailing by five points. Nevertheless, the team made a strong run and managed to equalize the score.
However, the last two rallies were won by the Dominican Republic, who closed the tie-break 15:13 and achieved the valuable victory.
Statistics showed almost complete equality in attack, where the Dominican Republic had a minimal advantage with 63:62. The big difference came in blocking, where the winners scored 16 points against only 8 for Ukraine.
The Ukrainians had a slight advantage in serves with 5 aces against 4, as well as in reception – 94 against 87. However, the Dominican Republic finished with more points after opponent errors – 23 against 21, and with more saved balls in defense – 118 against 112.
Martinez was the top scorer for the winners with 29 points, while Isabel Peña added 18. For Ukraine, Artyshuk scored 19 points, and Meliushkyna finished with 18.
The defeat dropped Ukraine to 16th place in the temporary standings. For Bulgaria, however, the most important conclusion after this result is different – the battle for survival is increasingly coming down to the direct match against France on Saturday. This very match has all the prerequisites to decide who will retain their place in the VNL elite. Before that, Marcello Abbondanza's girls will try to get the maximum out of today's match with the Czech Republic, who already have two losses in Belgrade.

photo:volleyballworld.com