Ukraine made its historic debut in the 2025 Volleyball Nations League (VNL) in impressive fashion, after defeating Cuba 3:2 (25-22, 20-25, 25-20, 17-25, 15-12) in a hard-fought match played in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. This was the Ukrainian team's second success in the tournament and placed them among the four undefeated teams in their group.
Heroes of Ukraine
A major contribution to the victory came from star Vasyl Tupchii, who scored 18 points (15 in attack and 3 blocks), continuing his consistent form after a strong match against the USA. Dmytro Yanchuk and Illia Kovaliov also performed excellently, adding 17 points each, proving the importance of stable wing play.
After the match, Ukrainian outside hitter Yevhenii Kisiliuk expressed the team's emotions:
"We are participating in the VNL for the first time and the atmosphere here is exceptional. We worked hard to compete at this level. Today we left our hearts on the court and in the end, we managed to win."
Cuba loses in tie-break after drama against Brazil
The Cubans played their second consecutive five-set match, but this time they failed to celebrate a victory, despite the efforts of Marlon Yant, who was the top scorer of the match with 23 points. Middle blocker Javier Concepcion added another 11 points to the Caribbean team's tally. After a dramatic win over Brazil a day earlier, Cuba failed to repeat their success against the motivated Ukrainian team.
Ukraine – one of the group leaders
With five points won after two matches, Ukraine is now looking ahead with confidence in the tournament and is positioned among the leading teams in the first stage of the VNL.
The program continues
The current stage in Rio continues with exciting matches over the weekend. On Saturday at 3:00 PM Bulgarian time, Ukraine will face host Brazil – another big test for the ambitious debutant. Later the same day, at 7:30 PM, the clash between the USA and Slovenia will also be played.
Ukraine has already shown that it is ready for the big stage. With strong teamwork, inspiring individual performances, and a fighting spirit, the European debutant is establishing itself as one of the pleasant surprises in the 2025 Volleyball Nations League.
photo:volleyballworld.com
