Ukraine's women's national team suffered a defeat in their historic first match in the Nations League. In a first-round match of the tournament in Quebec (Canada), the Ukrainians lost to the Olympic silver medalist USA with a score of 0:3 (16:25, 17:25, 23:25).
The Americans demonstrated superiority in the first two sets, but in the third, Ukraine put up serious resistance and came close to extending the match. Despite the European team's better offense, the Americans compensated with excellent blocking and serving.

Ukraine scored more points in attack (42 against 39), but the huge difference came from the other elements. The USA recorded 9 block points against only 2 for their opponent and scored 9 aces against 3. The Americans also benefited from significantly more errors by the Ukrainian team, which brought them another 18 points.

The statistics show that Ukraine performed stably in defensive elements. The team had more digs and better reception stats. This explains why the Ukrainians managed to remain competitive in the third set, but the lack of effectiveness in blocking and serving proved decisive.
The most effective player for the USA was Ava Skinner with 12 points, while Tamila Danchak and Anastasiia Milenko finished with 11 points each for Ukraine.
After the match, the Americans gained 3.02 points for the world ranking, while Ukraine lost 3.02 points. The USA remains in 6th place with a total of 338.05 points, and Ukraine is 16th with 187.19 points.
For the Ukrainian team, the debut in the Nations League ended without winning a set, but the performance in the third set and the positive indicators in defense give reason for optimism before the next matches in the tournament. The Americans, on the other hand, confirmed their role as favorites and started their participation with a convincing success.

photo: volleyballworld.com