Serbia suffered a second consecutive loss in the VNL tournament, this time to Japan with a score of 3:0 (25-20, 25-23, 26-24). After previously losing by the same result to China, the rejuvenated squad of our western neighbors currently has only one victory - against Turkey with 3:1. After today's match, Serbia now has 2 losses and occupies 12th place in the world rankings.
The match was played in Xi'an, China, as part of Pool 3 - Week 1 for men.
The match was competitive, but Japan showed better effectiveness in serving and capitalized on their opponent's errors to secure the victory. Although Serbia dominated in blocking and reception, it wasn't enough to turn the score around.
With this victory, the Japanese solidified their sixth position in the ranking list.
Overall statistics:
| Category | Japan | Serbia |
|---|---|---|
| Attacks | 41 | 41 |
| Blocks | 7 | 10 |
| Aces (serves) | 6 | 1 |
| Points from opponent's errors | 22 | 15 |
| Total points | 76 | 67 |
Top scorers:
| Japan | Points | Serbia | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miyahara (#4, Opposite) | 19 | Mashulovic V. (#4, Outside Hitter) | 10 |
| Kai (#15, Outside Hitter) | 9 | Nedeljkovic (#29, Middle Blocker) | 10 |
| Larry (#23, Middle Blocker) | 9 | Luburic (#16, Opposite Hitter) | 7 |
Photo: volleyballworld.com
