The second competition day of the second week of the Men's Volleyball Nations League offered new sensations, dramatic five-set battles, and significant shifts at the top of the provisional standings. Ukraine attracted the most attention, as just a day after their success against Brazil, they decisively defeated world champions Italy. Belgium recorded a valuable win over China, inspired by the phenomenal 38 points from Ferre Reggers, the USA topped the standings after a clean sweep against Iran, Slovenia overturned Bulgaria after a dramatic tie-break, France survived against Cuba, and Poland snatched another five-set thriller against Turkey.

Ukraine continues to surprise, Italy had no answer

Ukraine achieved a second consecutive resounding victory, defeating world champions Italy 3-0 (25:23, 25:19, 25:16). Raul Lozano's team now has four wins and has climbed to fourth place in the provisional VNL standings. Only the first set was evenly matched, but even there, the Italians failed to turn the tide at the end. After that, the Ukrainians imposed complete superiority with strong serving and very effective attacking. Oleh Plotnytskyi, Vasyl Tupchii, and Dmytro Yanchuk scored a total of 44 points and were key to the success. For Italy, only Mattia Bottolo managed to maintain a high level in attack. This was the second consecutive defeat for the "Azzurri", who, after losing to Bulgaria, also succumbed to Ukraine.

Belgium defeated China, and Reggers rewrote history

Belgium defeated China 3-1 (26:28, 25:21, 25:21, 25:20) and recorded their third victory in the tournament. The match was special for China's coach Vital Heynen, who faced his home country. The Belgians dramatically lost the first set after two late aces from China but gradually stabilized their game. After that, Emanuele Zanini's squad won three consecutive sets thanks to stronger serving and better blocking. The undisputed hero was opposite Ferre Reggers, who scored an impressive 38 points – the best individual performance in the VNL this season and the second most points scored in the tournament's history. Belgium climbed to 11th place, while China remained 16th with one victory.

USA took the lead after a convincing success over Iran

The Americans did not allow a surprise and defeated Iran 3-0 (25:23, 25:20, 31:29). The third set was the most contested, where the Iranians had the opportunity to extend the match but failed to capitalize on their chances. Matthew Anderson once again demonstrated his immense class, finishing with 18 points. The 20-year-old opposite Cole Hartke also finished with the same total, continuing to impress. For Iran, the top scorer was Ali Hagparast with 16 points. The American serve created serious problems for the Iranian reception throughout the match. The victory propelled the USA to the top of the tournament's provisional standings.

Slovenia overturned Bulgaria after a dramatic battle

In front of more than 10,000 spectators in Ljubljana, hosts Slovenia prevailed over Bulgaria 3-2 (19:25, 25:21, 17:25, 26:24, 15:6). The Bulgarian team was only two points away from a big victory, but the Slovenians dramatically snatched the fourth set and carried the psychological advantage into the tie-break. In the decisive set, the hosts completely dominated, leaving the Bulgarians with only six points. Slovenia made a huge difference in blocking, finishing with 17 successful blocks. The top scorer for the winners was Nik Mujanović with 17 points. Aleksandar Nikolov played another great match with 28 points and five aces, but his efforts were not enough for victory. This match placed Bulgaria in 10th place, while the hosts Slovenia are now in the top 3 of the tournament, occupying third place with 5 wins.

France survived another five-set drama

Olympic champions France recorded their second consecutive tie-break victory, defeating Cuba 3-2 (25:22, 21:25, 25:27, 25:20, 15:13). The French were trailing 1-2 in sets but found the strength to turn the match around in front of their home crowd. The appearance of substitute Henri Léon proved crucial, as he changed the hosts' performance from the fourth set onwards and finished with 14 points with excellent efficiency. Trevor Clévenot also had a strong match and was France's top scorer with 20 points. Cuba once again remained without a victory in the VNL, despite the strong performance of Miguel Ángel López, who scored 19 points. The French took another important step towards climbing the rankings.

Poland snatched another thriller against Turkey

For the fifth consecutive time in the VNL, Poland played a five-set match, and this time defeated Turkey 3-2 (26:28, 25:19, 25:21, 19:25, 15:11). The Turks started stronger and dramatically snatched the first set. After that, the Poles stabilized their game and turned the score around to 2-1. However, Turkey did not give up and sent the match to a tie-break. The decisive set was evenly matched until the middle, when Aleksander Śliwka led Poland to victory with an important counter-attack. The top scorer in the match was Adis Lagumdžija with 31 points for Turkey, while Śliwka finished with 20 for the winners. Poland continued their winning streak and remained among the contenders for the top positions.

Provisional standings in the VNL

The leader in the provisional standings is now the USA team with 15 points, followed by Japan with 14. Slovenia and Ukraine continue their impressive performance and are now in the Top 4. Bulgaria remains tenth with three wins and nine points, only two positions away from the places that qualify for the Final Eight.

Program for Friday, June 26 (Bulgarian time)

• 17:30China – Argentina

• 17:30Ukraine – Canada

• 18:00Iran – Japan

• 21:00Belgium – Germany

• 21:00Brazil – Italy

• 21:30Serbia – Cuba

The Bulgarian national team rests today. Gianlorenzo Blengini's squad returns to the court on Saturday, when they will face Canada. The match in Ljubljana starts at17:30 Bulgarian time.