The second week of the men's Volleyball Nations League began with nine extremely interesting matches that changed both the provisional standings in the tournament and the world rankings. The day offered four five-set encounters, two major comebacks, and two sensational victories over world powers. The greatest joy for Bulgarian fans was brought by the national team of Bulgaria, which broke a 14-year streak without success against Italy after a dramatic 3:2(18:25,25:20,25:23,19:25,15:9). No less impressive was Ukraine's success against Brazil, while Poland turned around Belgium from 0:2 sets, and France snatched a dramatic victory after almost three hours of play against Iran. As a result of all this, the battle for spots in the final eight of the VNL became even more contested, and in the provisional standings, almost every point won now has immense value.

Turkey left China no chance

The Turkish men's national team started its participation in the second week of the VNL impressively, after defeating China 3:0(25:16,25:19,25:21) in Gliwice. Alper Hamurcu's team dominated from the very first rallies thanks to their strong serve and excellently organized block. The Chinese never found a solution against the Turkish play above the net and suffered a defeat without managing to win a set. Adis Lagumdzija scored 18 points, and Gokcen Yuksel added another 15 for the convincing success. Turkey finished with an impressive 13 points from blocks against only 2 for their opponent and earned an additional 4.65 points for the world rankings.

Japan continues flawlessly

Tournament leader Japan recorded its fifth consecutive victory, after defeating Serbia 3:1(25:17,25:15,22:25,25:16) in Orleans. The Asians once again demonstrated impressive organization in their game and dominated for most of the match. The Serbs managed to take only the third set, but in the remaining parts, the Japanese completely controlled the events on the court. Ran Takahashi played another strong match and finished with 22 points, while Yuki Ishikawa and Yuji Nishida also made significant contributions to the success. The victory solidified Japan's position at the top of the VNL provisional standings, while the Serbs dropped one spot in the world rankings.

Bulgaria defeated the world champions after a 14-year wait

The biggest sensation of the day came in Ljubljana, where Bulgaria defeated world champions Italy 3:2(18:25,25:20,25:23,19:25,15:9). This was the national team's first success over the "Azzurri" since the London 2012 Olympic Games and a sort of revenge for the lost final of the 2025 World Championship in the Philippines. Bulgaria was the better team in attack, block, and defense, scoring 53 points in attack against 44 for Italy and 15 successful blocks against 12. Aleksandar Nikolov was the top scorer with 19 points, Martin Atanasov added 14, and young setter Simeon Nikolov impressed with 9 points, including three aces, and excellently organized the team's play. The victory earned Bulgaria 11.32 points for the world rankings and elevated the national team to eighth place in the world.

Argentina snatched a dramatic victory against Germany

Argentina started the second week with their first VNL victory, after overcoming Germany 3:2(25:21,15:25,25:15,18:25,15:13). The two teams exchanged two decisively won sets each, and the outcome only came in the tie-break. The Germans were better in attack and serve, but the Argentinians compensated with a stronger block and significantly fewer unforced errors. These two components proved crucial for the "Gauchos'" first success of the season. The victory earned them 5.93 points for the world rankings and lifted them from last place in the provisional standings.

Ukraine shocked Brazil

The second big sensation of the day was Ukraine's 3:1(29:27,22:25,25:22,25:21) victory over Brazil. The Ukrainians showed immense character in crucial moments, especially in the dramatic first set, which they won 29:27. After Brazil equalized the score, the Ukrainian team again took the initiative and deservedly achieved a prestigious success against one of the title favorites. Both teams finished with an equal number of attack points, but the Ukrainians made twice as many blocks and significantly better exploited their opponent's errors. The victory brought a total of 13.98 points for the world rankings and cemented the impressive growth of the Ukrainian national team.

USA had no problems against Cuba

The US national team achieved its fourth victory in the tournament after a decisive 3:0(25:21,25:21,25:19) win against Cuba. The Americans controlled the match from start to finish and made a huge difference in blocking, where they scored 10 points against just 4 for their opponent. Although Cuba scored more points in attack and on serve, the numerous errors by the Caribbeans decisively tipped the scales in favor of the US team. Haynes finished with 14 points, and DeFalco added another 10. The victory elevated the Americans to third place in the world rankings and second place in the VNL provisional standings, while Cuba remained the only team without a victory since the start of the tournament.

Poland demonstrated a champion's character against Belgium

World No. 1 Poland pulled off one of the most impressive comebacks on the first day of the second week, defeating Belgium 3:2(21:25,23:25,25:19,28:26,15:13). Nikola Grbić's team was trailing 0:2 sets in front of their home crowd in Gliwice, but gradually stabilized their reception and turned the match around. Belgium was more effective in attack (74:57), but the Poles compensated with a stronger block, more direct points from serve, and significantly fewer errors in crucial moments. Ferre Reggers played a phenomenal match with 34 points for the Belgians, but it wasn't enough. For Poland, Bartłomiej Bołądź was the top scorer with 24 points, and the success allowed "Drużyna Polska" (Polish Team) to retain first place in the world rankings.

France edged out Iran in an almost three-hour battle

Olympic champions France successfully started the second week after a dramatic 3:2(25:21,23:25,25:21,24:26,17:15) victory over Iran. The match lasted almost three hours and offered numerous twists and turns, with the French saving two match points in the tie-break. The hosts' main weapon was the block, which brought 14 points against just 3 for the Iranians. Mathis Enard scored 24 points, and Stephen Boyer added another 18 for the success. The French recorded only their second victory in the tournament, while Iran continued to be in the lower half of the standings.

Slovenia defeated Canada before the clash with Bulgaria

Tournament host Slovenia in Ljubljana started with a 3:1(25:23,23:25,25:20,25:23) victory over Canada. The Slovenians compensated for their deficit in blocking with much more effective play in attack and on serve. Toncek Stern was once again the hosts' leader with 24 points, and young Nik Mujanovič added another 18. The success brought Slovenia 4.59 points for the world rankings and elevated the team to fourth place in the VNL provisional standings. The Slovenians are Bulgaria's next opponent in one of the most anticipated matches of the tournament's second day.

World rankings after the first day of the second week

Ukraine gained the most points for the world ranking, after their shocking victory over Brazil - 13.98. The most significant gainer in the world ranking is Bulgaria, which, after their historic victory over Italy, earned 11.32 points and climbed two spots to eighth place in the world. The USA overtook Brazil and are now third, while Poland minimally increased its lead at the top. In the top ten, Bulgaria is now one of the eight strongest national teams according to the current FIVB ranking.

Provisional Standings in VNL

Despite achieving one of its most prestigious victories in the last decade, Bulgaria dropped one position in the provisional standings of the VNL. After the end of the first week, the national team was ninth, and after the nine matches of the first day of the second week, they are now tenth. The reason is the extreme parity of the tournament. From fifth to tenth place, all six teams have an identical balance of three wins and two losses each. The difference comes from the points won, then from the set ratio, and if necessary, from the ratio between points won and lost. Turkey, for example, has the same 8 points as Bulgaria but is ahead of the national team with a better set ratio (1.250 versus 1.111). This means that until the end of the preliminary phase, every point won and even every individual set can prove crucial in the battle for a place among the top eight teams.

Today's program (Bulgarian time)

• 5:30 PMChina – Belgium

• 5:30 PMUkraine – Italy

• 6:00 PMIran – USA

• 9:00 PMPoland – Turkey

• 9:30 PMFrance – Cuba

• 9:30 PM Slovenia – Bulgaria

Undoubtedly, the match between Slovenia and Bulgaria in Ljubljana will be in the spotlight. After the historic success against Italy, Gianlorenzo Blengini's squad has an excellent opportunity to solidify their impressions and take another important step towards qualifying for the final tournament of the Volleyball Nations League. This will not be easy at all, as the draw determined that the match between the two teams will be played on June 25, when Slovenia celebrates Statehood Day (Slovenian: Dan državnosti). This is one of the most important national holidays in the country and is an official non-working day.

photo: Nikolay Varadinov