The men's national team of Ukraine achieved a second consecutive victory in this year's edition of the Volleyball Nations League. The team led by Raul Lozano decisively defeated Cuba 3:0(25:21,25:20,25:16) in a match from the first week of the tournament, which is taking place in the Chinese city of Linyi.
After the defeat by Japan at the start, the Ukrainians found their rhythm, and following their success against China, they now recorded a convincing victory against one of the traditionally strong teams in world volleyball.
From the very beginning of the match, Ukraine imposed its tempo and did not allow the opponent to take the initiative. The Europeans dominated in attack and block, and stable reception allowed the setters to organize a diverse game. The Cubans failed to find a solution against the well-organized Ukrainian defense and committed too many unforced errors.
Statistics also showed the superiority of the winners. Ukraine finished with 40 attack points against 35 for Cuba, made 9 blocks against only 4 for the opponent, and capitalized on 24 Cuban errors. The only component where Cuba had an advantage was the serve – 3 aces against 2.
The most effective player for Ukraine's success wasKovalovwith 14 points.Yanchukadded 10 points and also made an important contribution to the victory.
For Cuba, the top scorer wasGonzalezwith 9 points, whileCardenasfinished with 3 points.
The victory brought Ukraine 12.13 points for the world ranking, with the team climbing one position to 16th place. Cuba lost the same number of points and dropped one position in the ranking, where they hold 14th place.
With this victory, the Ukrainians solidified their strong performance in the first week of the tournament and continue their fight for a place among the leading teams in the Nations League.

photo:volleyballworld.com