One of Bulgaria's opponents in this year's Volleyball Nations League – the Netherlands national team – suffered a humiliating defeat in their debut in the competition. The "Oranges" were completely outplayed by Japan, losing with a decisive 0:3 (17:25, 15:25, 16:25), failing to break the 20-point mark in any of the sets.
The Dutch women started the tournament with hopes for a good result and a search for a new look through numerous rotations, but in their very first match, they were brought back to earth by the exceptionally well-prepared and disciplined Japanese team. The Asian team, led by Mayu Ishikawa and Yoshino Sato, showed perfect defensive play and an extremely strong serving series, which completely bewildered the European squad.
The problems for the Netherlands began early on – poor reception, elementary errors, and unconvincing finishing play led to a gradual and logical lag in every part of the match. The most prolific scorer for the "Oranges" – Dambrink – did not receive enough support from her teammates, while the Japanese women operated like a well-oiled machine.
The match is a clear signal for Bulgaria that the Netherlands is far from optimal form. Although it is still the beginning of the tournament, this categorical loss shows that Felix Koslowski's squad has serious weaknesses that our team can exploit in the upcoming match on June 8.
Japan's victory is the first under the guidance of Turkish coach Ferhat Akbaş.
Netherlands: Van Aalen, Baijens (6), Vos (9), Stuut (3), Dambrink (10), Kuiper (1), Reesink (libero) and Jasper (libero), Gerritsen, Lyklema, Van De Vos (3), Knol (4)
Japan: Shimamura (4), Ishikawa (15), Wada (12), Airi (6), Yoshino (18), Kojima (libero) and Tsukasa, Fukazawa, Akimoto (1)
photo: VNL
