The national team of the Dominican Republic delivered one of the biggest surprises in the second Women's Nations League tournament. Marcos Kwiek's volleyball players defeated favorites Japan 3-1 (17:25, 25:20, 28:26, 25:23) in Pasig City (Philippines) and inflicted the first defeat on the Asians in the competition.
The success has serious consequences for both the VNL standings and the world ranking list. The Dominicans climbed two positions and now occupy 16th place in the current Nations League standings. This automatically left Bulgaria in the last 18th position.
The situation is particularly worrying for the Bulgarian team, which also has only one win, but has one point less and a worse set difference than the Dominican Republic. The islanders' additional point came even from their dramatic 2-3 loss to Turkey, from which they managed to earn a point.
Match Statistics
| Statistic | Japan | Dominican Republic |
|---|---|---|
| Attack | 68 | 60 |
| Block | 6 | 10 |
| Ace | 3 | 4 |
| Points from opponent's errors | 17 | 21 |
| Total points | 94 | 95 |
The Dominicans compensated for their deficit in attack with better blocking, more effective serving, and most importantly, by forcing the Japanese to make more errors. The difference of just one point in the total score shows how contested the match was.
| Statistic | Japan | Dominican Republic |
|---|---|---|
| Digs | 102 | 100 |
| Reception | 88 | 84 |
| Organized attacks | 153 | 132 |
Japan had an advantage in defensive actions, reception, and game organization, which is also evident from the higher number of organized attacks (153 against 132). However, the Dominicans showed higher efficiency in key moments, especially in blocking and serving, which proved decisive for their ultimate success.
Top Scorers
For Japan, Wada scored 17 points, and Sato added 16.
For the Dominican Republic, Heredia also finished with 17 points, and Martinez contributed 14.
Changes in the world rankings
The defeat cost Japan dearly. The Asian team lost 14.26 points in the world rankings and dropped from 5th to 6th place in the FIVB standings.
For the Dominican Republic, there is no change in position, but the team solidified its place as world No. 12.
Bulgaria under pressure
The turn of events puts the Bulgarian national team in an extremely delicate situation. Marcello Abbondanza's protégées are resting today, but tomorrow a crucial match against Ukraine awaits them.
After that, the third and final preliminary phase tournament will take place in Belgrade, where Bulgaria will face host Serbia, Czech Republic, France, and Germany.
Meanwhile, the Dominican Republic will have the opportunity to solidify its ascent tomorrow when they play against the Czech Republic. For Bulgaria, this means that every subsequent match could prove decisive in the battle to escape the bottom of the standings.
photo:volleyballworld.com
