The Belgian national team continues its impressive preparation before its historic debut in the Volleyball Nations League. The "Red Dragons", who will be Bulgaria's first opponent in the VNL, defeated Olympic champion France with (25-18, 26-24, 19-25, 25-19, 14-16) in a friendly match played today in Beveren.
The Belgians won the first two sets against "the Roosters", and then closed the match with a convincing fourth set. After the official part, the two teams also played an additional tie-break, which France won with 16:14.
| Player | Points | Plus/Minus | Attack | Efficiency | Positive Reception | Block/Ace |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ferre Reggers | 22 | +9 | 55% - 18/33 | 45% | 38% | 2 aces, 2 blocks |
| Basil Dermaux | 19 | +13 | 60% - 18/30 | 50% | - | 1 block |
| Noah Duflo-Rossi | 12 | +11 | 55% - 11/20 | 55% | 39% | 1 block |
| Mathis Henno | 12 | +3 | 44% - 12/27 | 19% | 55% | - |
| Tomas Pujol | 10 | +1 | 47% - 9/19 | 26% | 47% | 1 ace |
The statistics highlight the serious potential of the Belgian team before their debut in the VNL. Ferre Reggers was the top scorer with 22 points and showed huge influence in attack, on serve, and in blocking. Basil Derwiche also impressed with 60% success in attack and a +13 balance against the Olympic champions. The data clearly shows that Belgium has a very aggressive and physically powerful squad that can create serious problems in Bulgaria's very first match in the VNL.
The success comes despite the absence of one of Belgium's biggest stars - Sam Deroo. The outside hitter was not included in the squad for the friendly match against the French, although he is on Belgium's extended VNL list, which was submitted to FIVB in advance.
photo:Belgian Federation
