The third competition day of the first week of the Women's Volleyball Nations League offered two five-set thrillers, three decisive 3:0 victories, and a very important success for Bulgaria against the Dominican Republic.
In Brazil, Marcelo Abbondanza's players showed a completely different face compared to the match against Italy and convincingly outplayed the Dominican Republic with 3:0 (25:19, 25:19, 25:13). The Bulgarian women dominated throughout the entire match and recorded their first victory in this year's edition of the tournament.
The top scorer for our national team was Mikaela Stoyanova with 21 points, 17 of which were from attack and 4 from blocks.
Poland survived a five-set battle with Serbia
The most intriguing clash of the day was in Nanjing, where Poland maintained their winning streak after a dramatic 3:2 victory over Serbia (17:25, 25:19, 25:18, 22:25, 17:15).
Thus, the bronze medalists from the last three editions of the VNL became the first team with three wins from three matches and topped the provisional standings.
The heroine for the Polish team was opposite hitter Julia Szczurowska, who scored an impressive 35 points – the best individual performance in the tournament so far.
In the other match from the Chinese group, Czechia gave Belgium no chances and won 3:0 (25:20, 25:22, 25:15).
Italy continues without losing a set
The evening program in Brazil offered another decisive victory. Olympic and world champions Italy defeated the Netherlands with 3:0 (25:22, 25:18, 25:22) and continue without losing a set since the start of the tournament.
The Italian women now have two wins from two matches and are solidifying their status as one of the main favorites for the title.
Japan and USA also continue their winning streak
In Quebec, Japan recorded their second VNL success after a 3:1 victory over Ukraine (25:20, 16:25, 25:16, 25:20). Captain Mayu Ishikawa led the Asian team with 22 points.
The second five-set thriller of the day pitted France against the USA. The American women achieved a 3:2 victory (25:21, 23:25, 27:25, 23:25, 15:11) after more than two hours of play and maintained their positive record in the tournament.
Results from the third day
Belgium – Czechia 0:3 (20:25, 22:25, 15:25)
Serbia – Poland 2:3 (25:17, 19:25, 18:25, 25:22, 15:17)
Dominican Republic – Bulgaria 0:3 (19:25, 19:25, 13:25)
Ukraine – Japan 1:3 (20:25, 25:16, 16:25, 20:25)
Netherlands – Italy 0:3 (22:25, 18:25, 22:25)
France - USA 2:3 (21:25, 25:23, 25:27, 25:23, 11:15)
After their first victory, Bulgaria faces one of the toughest challenges in the tournament – the host Brazil, who is also undefeated since the start of the competition. A win or even a point earned against the South Americans would be a serious statement of intent for the ambitions of the young Bulgarian squad in the VNL 2026.
