Asians and Europeans battle for the title on Sunday in Łódź – watch live on VBTV
Captain Yuki Ishikawa was on fire for Japan, scoring 21 points against Slovenia in the semifinal
Asian powerhouse Japan and reigning Olympic champions France are the two men’s national teams still standing on the last day of the Volleyball Nations League 2024 and one of them will be crowned as winners of the sixth edition of the tournament on Sunday in Łódź, Poland.
- Watch Volleyball Nations League 2024 live on VBTV
Set to appear at the Paris Olympics in less than a month, Asians and Europeans will meet at the Atlas Arena at 20:00 local time (18:00 GMT), in the last match of the tournament. Three hours earlier, hosts Poland and Slovenia will play for bronze and the last spot on the podium.
The only team to beat Slovenia, who topped the standings in the VNL Preliminary Phase, ahead of the start of the VNL Finals, Japan did it again in the semifinals, prevailing 3-0 (25-21, 27-25, 31-29) to earn the right to play in the VNL gold medal match for the first time.
Advancing to the VNL final for the first time is another of the recent accomplishments achieved by Japan, who took bronze in the VNL last year, returning to the podium in a major international tournament for the first time since 2009, and are currently in second place in the FIVB World Ranking, with 370.51 points.
Japan heavily relied on their stars to take Slovenia down on Saturday in Łódź as outside hitter and team captain Yuki Ishikawa led the team with 21 points (19 kills, two blocks), followed by opposite Yuji Nishida, who added another 18, with 15 kills, two aces and one block.
“Being in the final makes us so, so happy,” Nishida remarked. “It was a very tough game and it was played at such a high level, but I think each of our players had the right mentality today. Tomorrow we’ll play our last match and we need to be ready to do even more against France to win the title, which is our goal.”
Opposite Tonček Štern was a consistent weapon for the Slovenians, who will try to secure their first VNL medal on Sunday, producing a team-high 20 points (15 kills, three aces, two blocks). Outside hitter Klemen Čebulj, with 12 points, and middle blocker Alen Pajenk, with ten, also reached double digits in scoring.
“Japan is the only team we’ve lost this season, but it’s difficult,” middle blocker Jan Kozamernik reflected. “We wanted this win today, but we didn’t show up as we should have and they played very well and didn’t give us anything. Now it’s really important for us to end the VNL with a medal so we can start the preparations for the Olympics with good confidence. I think we deserve more than what we showed today and hopefully, that’s going to come in Paris.”
Volleyball Nations League 2024: schedule and results
France overcome Poland in a five-set battle
The first semifinal of the VNL 2024 had Olympic champions France and defending champions and FIVB World Ranking leaders Poland, who clashed in front of over 10,000 fans in Łódź. After many turnarounds and match points for both sides, the French stepped up to win 3-2 (22-25, 25-22, 25-23, 20-25, 18-16) and silence the crowd at the Atlas Arena.
The VNL 2022 champions, France have secured their fourth medal in the tournament after taking silver in 2018 and bronze in 2021. The semifinal victory also moved them up to fifth place in the World Ranking, with 334.52 points.
Replacing star outside hitter Earvin Ngapeth in the starting lineup, Yacine Louati played an extraordinary match for France, leading all scorers with 21 points (19 kills, one block, one ace). Opposite Theo Faure also shone for the French side, coming off the bench to produce 20 points, all in kills, including the game-winner.
“They served really well in the first two sets and it was pretty tough,” setter Antoine Brizard commented. “Our passers did a great job of not allowing them to score too many aces and that make it difficult for them to keep their level. We just played our game, and were very strong on defense, and I like how we approached the match. We practice hard to play in moments like this and we were fortunate to get the job done.”
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Poland also showed depth, with middle blocker Norbert Huber scoring 18 points (14 kills, two blocks, two aces) and opposite Bartlomiej Boładź replacing captain Bartosz Kurek and delivering 13 points, all in kills.
“We had a big chance to win the second set, but we lost focus and lost some important points,” outside hitter Tomasz Fornal reacted. “It’s frustrating, but now we have to clear our minds for the bronze medal match.
Playing in an atmosphere like this is something we all grow up dreaming of and I’d like to thank our incredible fans for their support.”
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