Poland have emerged as the strongest outfit in Week 1 of the Women’s Volleyball Nations League, claiming the top spot in the current standings, and are on an undefeated record with a 12-0 set ratio.
Demolishing the likes of Italy, France, and the Netherlands without dropping a single set is quite astonishing, to say the least, and they did more of the same during their most recent match with Japan.
Against Japan, Poland finished the match with a score of 3-0 (26-24, 25-20, 25-23) and cost their Asian rivals as much as 8.59 points in the World Ranking.
Opposite hitter Magdalena Stysiak proved to be more than Japan could handle, as the 23-year-old ended the game with a match-high 22 points, which included one ace, five kill blocks, and 12 stuffs, leading Poland to their fourth consecutive victory in the Volleyball Nations League.
While Stysiak posed as the head of the beast, outside hitter Martyna Lukasik was also a threat, chipping in 11 points to help Poland secure the win.
“We are so happy. The matches were difficult, for sure, but I think we developed our game and played much better from match to match. Especially at the end of the sets, we can do what we have to do to win the game. So I am really happy and proud of this team,” Poland’s libero Aleksandra Szczyglowska exclaimed.
Despite their dominant performance in Week 1, the job’s far from done for the Polish outfit as they face Serbia to start the Week 2 campaign in Arlington, USA.
Serbia, on the other hand, have had a rough start to their season, winning just one out of their first four matches. Serbia started their campaign with a four-set loss against the Dominican Republic, but they were quick to clean things up and proceeded to dominate Thailand 3-0 in their next match.
However, consecutive defeats in the hands of China and Brazil forced Serbia to settle with a 1-3 standing by Week 1’s end, finding themselves looking up the standings from the 11th spot.
Brazil vs Japan
Like Poland, Brazil are also undefeated coming into Week 2 of the VNL, defeating the likes of Serbia, Canada, Korea, and the United States with just two sets conceded.
They’ve proved to be worthy adversaries from the get-go. Notably, their statement win against the USA headlined the Volleyball Nations League 2024 news stories, as Brazil’s captain, Gabi, led her team to a glorious win against the USA, the first in five years.
With all the confidence in the world, they proceeded to dismantle Serbia in three sets to finish Week 1 with an unbeaten record. However, they can’t rest on their laurels just yet, as they’ll face a formidable Japanese outfit to start their Week 2 campaign in Macao, China.
Brazil enjoyed home advantage and could’ve been the X factor for the team to produce winning results. It’ll be interesting to see what they can showcase when they step outside their home soil.
On the other hand, Japan, who are 3-1 in Week 1, are on their revenge arc after suffering a humbling loss to Poland in straight sets. Japan, who were the Volleyball Nations League 2024 underdogs coming into their last Week 1 clash with Poland, showed some fight in the first and third sets thanks to the efforts of outside hitters Mayu Ishikawa and Kotona Hayashi, but ultimately succumbed to the dominance of Poland.
Now playing closer to their home soil, Japan can bounce back and go back to their winning ways if they can brave the red-hot Brazil.
Canada vs USA
Canada’s recent victory over winless Thailand got them closer to the qualification zone for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.
The Canadians struggled to start the season after losing their opener to Brazil in four sets, but they’ve picked things up and proceeded to go on a three-game winning streak, toppling the likes of the Dominican Republic, China, and Thailand.
They’ll hope to start Week 2 on a better note than in the first week by claiming a victory over the struggling United States team, who have just two wins to their name this season thus far.
The defending Olympic champions have yet to find a consistent groove in the current VNL season. They’ve ended their Week 1 campaign on a high, defeating the Dominican Republic in straight sets before heading to their home soil for Week 2.
With just two wins coming into Week 2, this SBOTOP writer believes that playing in front of their home crowd in Arlington will have a great impact on their momentum and form for Week 2.
●●●
CHECK OUT OUR BLOG FOR MORE SPORTS STORIES & ODDS
Stay updated with everything sports and betting.
Follow us on social Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
