The second day of the last third week of the Women's Volleyball Nations League offered a new round of dramatic matches that seriously changed both the battle for places in the final tournament in Macao, China, and the fight for survival in the elite. Poland ended USA's winning streak, France made a sensational comeback against Serbia and displaced Bulgaria to the penultimate place, the Netherlands remained in the game for the Top 8, while China, Canada, and Japan recorded valuable victories.

Poland stopped leader USA after a five-set battle.

Poland achieved one of its most valuable victories of the season after overcoming leader USA with a 3:2 (20:25, 25:20, 25:23, 18:25, 15:12) win. After the defeat to Turkey on the first day, the Polish team could not afford another mistake and managed to react in the best possible way against one of the title favorites.
The Americans started stronger and took the first set, but then Stefano Lavarini's team significantly improved its blocking and attacking play. Poland won the next two sets thanks to the excellent play of Magdalena Stysiak and Julita Piasecka, before USA leveled the match after a convincing fourth set.
In the tie-break, the Americans led 9:7 and seemed close to a comeback, but a series of serves from Paulina Damaske turned the tide of the decisive set. The Polish team scored four consecutive points, took an 11:9 lead, and did not relinquish the initiative until the end.
With the win, Poland collected 19 points and kept realistic chances for a place among the top eight, while USA suffered only its second loss in the tournament but remained at the top of the standings.

Canada recovered after a nightmarish start and overturned Belgium.

Canada made one of the most impressive comebacks of the season, defeating Belgium 3:1 (10:25, 25:21, 25:17, 27:25). The first set was a real shock for the Canadians, who scored only 10 points and looked completely outplayed.
Belgium dominated early on and even led 11:6 in the second set, but gradually the Canadians stabilized their reception and started finding solutions in attack. After leveling the score, they took control of the match and decisively won the third set.
The fourth set was the most dramatic. The Belgians led 24:20 and had four consecutive set points for a tie-break, but failed to convert any of them. Canada saved all opportunities, made a complete comeback to 27:25, and finished the match in four sets.
Kiera Van Ryk scored 22 points and was the leader in Canada's success. Belgium was left with huge disappointment, as they missed an excellent chance to at least reach a tie-break, and the defeat left the team still without a guaranteed place in the elite.

Japan returned to winning ways against Thailand.

After a series of three consecutive losses, Japan finally returned to victories and overcame Thailand with a 3:1 (25:15, 25:21, 22:25, 25:22) win in front of their home crowd in Osaka.
The hosts started very confidently and controlled the first two sets thanks to stable blocking and excellent defensive organization. The Thai team managed to bring back the intrigue after winning the third set with aggressive serving and more effective attacking.
In the fourth set, the two teams were almost evenly matched until the middle of the set, but the Japanese showed more composure in the decisive rallies and closed out the match in four sets.
Captain Mayu Ishikawa was the top scorer with 22 points, and Yukiko Wada added another 20. The victory returned Japan to the Top 8 and kept the team's hopes alive for participation in the final tournament.

China did not allow a surprise against Ukraine.

China achieved a 3:0 (25:18, 25:22, 25:20) victory over debutant Ukraine and took another important step towards participation in the finals.
The first set was entirely dictated by the hosts, who built a solid lead by the middle of the set. The second was significantly more contested. Ukraine led 17:12 and was close to leveling the score, but the Chinese team made an impressive run at the end, tied at 19:19, and won six of the last eight rallies.
In the third set, the Asian team again controlled the proceedings and did not allow the Ukrainians to stage another comeback.
Yushan Ruan scored 18 points, and Yuanyuan Wang added 16, including an impressive six successful blocks. For Ukraine, Svitlana Dorsman and Viktoriia Danchak each recorded 10 points.

Netherlands remained in the battle for Macau.

The Netherlands gave Czechia no chance and won 3:0 (25:21, 25:21, 25:18), recording their third consecutive victory in the VNL.
The "Tulips" played very consistently in all elements and did not allow the Czechs to take the lead in any of the three sets. Especially impressive was their blocking game and good defensive organization, which limited Czechia's main attackers.
Laura Jansen and Helena Kok led the Netherlands with 13 points each. After the victory, the team climbed to eighth place with 18 points and remained in an excellent position to qualify for the finals.
For Czechia, the defeat practically ended their hopes for a spot among the top eight teams.

France caused a sensation against Serbia and complicated the battle for survival.

The biggest surprise of the day came in Belgrade, where France turned the host Serbia around from 0:2 to 3:2 (20:25, 22:25, 25:22, 25:23, 15:13).
After the first two sets, the Serbians seemed to be fully in control of the match, but the French gradually increased their effectiveness in attack and serve and managed to bring back the intrigue.
The tie-break proved decisive, with France showing more composure in key moments and capitalizing on the numerous errors of the hosts.
The victory is of great importance for the battle to stay in the elite. France now has two wins and six points, displacing Bulgaria to 17th place. Thus, the direct clash between Bulgaria and France on the penultimate day of the tournament could become decisive for who will remain in the VNL next season.
It's a curious fact that this was Serbia's 13th consecutive loss in a tie-break. The Serbians' last won five-set match was precisely against Bulgaria in July 2023. The loss overshadowed coach Zoran Terzic's 60th birthday.

Provisional VNL Standings after Day Two of Week Three

The battle for the last spots in the final tournament is extremely contested. The Netherlands and China have an equal number of points, while Germany still retains its chances to attack the Top 8. At the bottom, France escaped from the last place at Bulgaria's expense, and the difference between France, Ukraine, Bulgaria, and the Dominican Republic remains minimal.

Provisional ranking in the VNL world team rankings

The world ranking clearly shows how balanced the battle in the VNL is. Eight of the top ten teams in the world are in the finals zone, while Bulgaria continues to be the lowest-ranked team in the tournament. After the matches of the second day of the third week, Canada and France made progress by one position each. The Canadians climbed from 11th to 10th place, and France moved from 16th to 15th. Germany and Belgium are moving in the opposite direction, losing one position each \u2013 the Germans are now 11th, and the Belgians are 16th.