The Belgian national team achieved an extremely important victory over France with a score of 3:2 (25:17, 20:25, 21:25, 25:18, 15:8) on the last day of the second tournament of the Women's Volleyball Nations League in Ankara (Turkey).
The Belgian women had to come back from a 1:2 set deficit, but showed character and achieved a partial comeback, registering their third success since the start of the competition. The victory temporarily lifted the team to 11th place in the standings with 3 wins and 5 losses.
For France, the defeat proved particularly painful. Coach Cesar Hernandez's squad remained with only one win from eight matches played and were anchored in the last 18th position in the provisional tournament standings.
Belgium's success also led to a shift in the world rankings. The Belgian women overtook the French women and climbed to 14th place with 206.37 points, while France dropped to 15th position with 205.21 points.
At the heart of the Belgian comeback were significantly fewer errors made and excellent blocking. Belgium scored 13 block points against 11 for their opponent, while the French women gifted a total of 40 points after their own errors against only 22 for the Belgian team.
The most prolific scorer for the winners was Fransen with 18 points, and Herbots added another 15. For France, Cazotte and Ndiaye each scored 13 points.
| Statistic | Belgium | France |
|---|---|---|
| Attack | 51 | 53 |
| Block | 13 | 11 |
| Serve | 2 | 7 |
| Points from opponent errors | 40 | 22 |
| Total points | 106 | 93 |
France surpassed their opponent in attack and serving, but the huge difference in unforced errors definitively tipped the scales in Belgium's favor. Precisely the 18 additional points received from the French women's errors proved decisive for the final success.
| Statistic | Belgium | France |
|---|---|---|
| Digs | 103 | 109 |
| Reception | 73 | 96 |
| Organized attacks | 147 | 168 |
The French women have an advantage in defensive actions and reception, which allows them to organize more attacks. However, Belgium compensates with more effective play in key moments and significantly better discipline in the execution of individual elements.
Thus, the battle at the bottom of the standings remains completely open. Later this evening, hosts Thailand will face the Netherlands in the last match of the day, which could also influence the lower part of the table.
photo: .volleyballworld.com
