The final day of the second tournament of the Men's Volleyball Nations League offered nine matches, several impressive comebacks, a historical record, and significant shifts in the provisional standings. Bulgaria finished the tournament in Ljubljana with a valuable victory over Ukraine, Japan remained the only undefeated team in the competition, Poland made history with a record-breaking first set against Argentina, and Italy, Turkey, Brazil, and the USA also concluded the week with important successes. After eight matches played for all teams, the battle for spots in the Final Eight remains completely open.
Germany closed the week with a convincing victory over China.
Germany started the day with a 3:1 (25:20, 25:20, 22:25, 25:19) victory over China in Gliwice. The 'Bundesteam' dominated with blocks (15:8) and recorded their fourth win, with Jan Böhme scoring 19 points. The Chinese resisted only in the third set, but Simon Torwinski's strong serving run in the fourth part decided the match in favor of the Germans.

Bulgaria broke Ukraine and remained in the battle for the Finals.
In Ljubljana, Bulgaria showed character and prevailed over Ukraine with a 3:1 (25:20, 18:25, 25:23, 25:17) victory, despite having played a five-set match against Canada less than 24 hours earlier. Gianlorenzo Blengini's team broke the Ukrainians' three-game winning streak, and Aleksandar Nikolov was again the leader with 26 points. Denislav Bardarov made an excellent debut as a starter, finishing with 16 points and two aces in the decisive fourth set. The victory brought Bulgaria their fifth success since the start of the tournament and valuable points for the world ranking.

Iran ended their negative streak with a victory against Cuba.
In Orleans, Iran defeated Cuba 3:1 (25:22, 25:21, 20:25, 30:28) and broke their six-game losing streak. Although the Cubans outplayed their opponents in attack and blocking, the Iranians took excellent advantage of their opponent's many errors and showed stronger nerves in the dramatic fourth set. The victory moved Iran up to 16th place in the world ranking, while Cuba dropped to 20th position.

Turkey overtook Bulgaria in the VNL after a clean sweep against Belgium.
Turkey continued their ascent with a decisive 3:0 (26:24, 26:24, 25:17) victory over Belgium. The first two sets were extremely contested, but the Turks consistently won the crucial rallies, and in the third part, they already dominated completely. With their fifth victory, Slobodan Kovač's team surpassed Bulgaria in set ratio and climbed to seventh place in the provisional standings.

Brazil survived a five-set drama against Canada.
Brazil snatched a dramatic 3:2 (25:17, 23:25, 28:26, 22:25, 17:15) victory over Canada in one of the most contested matches of the day. The South Americans showed more composure in the tie-break and, thanks to their better defense, recorded their fifth success, which left them immediately behind Bulgaria in the standings.

Japan saved three match points and remained undefeated.
The most spectacular match in Orleans pitted Japan against France. The tournament leader turned around the Olympic champion with a 3:2 (28:30, 19:25, 25:17, 35:33, 15:12) victory, after saving three match points in the fourth set. Yuki Ishikawa scored 28 points, and the Japanese remained the only undefeated team after the end of the second week with eight wins from eight matches.

A historic record set and a comeback brought victory to Poland.
In Gliwice, Poland defeated Argentina 3:1 (48:50, 26:24, 25:19, 25:20), but the result took a back seat due to the historic first set. The Argentines won it 50:48 after 59 minutes of play – the longest set in the history of the Nations League and all official FIVB tournaments. After that, the Poles, led by Wilfredo León, made a complete comeback and finished the tournament with four wins from four matches.

Italy turned around Slovenia in Ljubljana.
In the penultimate match, Italy overcame host Slovenia 3:1 (23:25, 25:19, 25:18, 25:20). After a shaky start, the 'Azzurri' asserted dominance in all elements of the game, and Bovolenta scored 21 points. The victory kept Italy among the leading teams in the battle for the Final Eight, while Slovenia remained at the top despite the defeat.

The USA did not allow a surprise against Serbia.
The day concluded with a 3:1 (25:12, 25:23, 24:26, 25:17) victory for the USA over Serbia. The Americans relied on their strong roster, led by Matt Anderson, while the Serbs paid a high price for numerous unforced errors, which gave the opponent 38 direct points. Lazar Marinović, who got married just a day earlier, was the top scorer for Serbia with 16 points.

Provisional standings in the Volleyball Nations League after the second week.

The battle for spots in the Finals remains extremely competitive. The differences between the fourth and ninth teams are minimal, and Bulgaria continues to be fully in the game for qualifying among the top eight before the final week of the tournament.

World Ranking (VNL teams)

The victory over Ukraine solidified Bulgaria's place as No. 8 in the world rankings and left the national team in an excellent position both in the global classification and in the battle for a spot in the Final Eight of the Volleyball Nations League. However, the differences between the teams around the eighth position in the VNL remain minimal, and the last week promises an extremely contested outcome.

photo: Nikolay Varadinov