Week 1 of the Volleyball Nations League has come to an end, but it was the perfect season opener to showcase the world-class talent the tournament has to offer.
In the men’s division, Italy and Slovenia have risen to the top of the standings by winning all of their Week 1 matches, while Cuba, France, Poland, and Japan are next in line to reach the summit with 3-1 records.
It was a successful campaign in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and Antalya, Türkiye to say the least, but now, the prestigious tournament heads to Fukuoka, Japan, and Ottawa, Canada, for Week 2 of the competition.
So, to start things off, read more below as SBOTOP gives in-depth previews of two of the marquee matchups every VNL fan should mark on their calendars.
Argentina vs USA
It’s been a quiet tournament for the United States, who were without a win in their first three matches in Antalya.
However, the young American squad pulled through and rallied to get their first win of the season at the expense of the hosts, Türkiye, who suffered a loss during their debut, to finish their Week 1 campaign on a high note.
The United States needed the heroics of their Opposite Hitter, Jake Hanes, to drive in their first win of the season. Against Türkiye, Hanes put up 31 total points as he spiked in 29 points at a 64 per cent success rate and added two aces for good measure to lead his squad to a 3-1 (20-25, 25-22, 27-25, 25-21) win over the hosts.
“It feels great! We put in a lot of work. It’s a lot coming out here to play some of your volleyball heroes. I have to give credit to my teammates,” American Outside Hitter Ethan Champlin exclaimed. “What we always talk about in the locker room is that this team, these 14 guys, are only going to play together once. It’s probably not going to happen ever again, so we are just enjoying the moments together, playing hard, playing for one another, and that’s what is most important.”
This win finally put the United States in the win column, and they are now 1-3 in the current VNL standings. This pivotal victory propelled them four spots up the table, giving them a much-needed morale boost before the tournament goes to North America.
There, the USA will face their neighbouring rivals, Argentina, who are just one win better than the Americans.
As for Argentina, they too found themselves in a slow start to the season after suffering losses against Japan and Brazil, but thanks to their 3-1 (21-25, 25-19, 25-21, 25-21) win over Germany, the Argentines finally got their feet set and proceeded to bag another win at the expense of Iran a day later.
Their win against Germany saw a holistic Argentine team, where their star Moritz Reichert led the way with 18 points, while his running mate, Facundo Conte, scored 16 points himself. Middle blockers Agustin Loser and Nicolas Zerba also chipped in with 15 and 12 points, respectively.
Iran vs Japan
Japan have emerged as one of the top dogs in the 2024 Volleyball Nations League after winning three matches in a row to start off their season.
The Asian outfit are tussling with the likes of Cuba, France, and Poland in the upper echelon of the standings, thanks to their decisive wins against Argentina, Serbia, and Cuba.
Their clash with Cuba saw the most exhilarating match in the entire tournament thus far. The five-set thriller perfectly encapsulated the level of competition the VNL possesses and the draw it can bring all over the globe.
Japan, who were without the services of their star hitters Yuki Ishikawa and Ran Takahashi, braved through a Cuban onslaught and were able to force a fifth set to claim their third consecutive victory of the season.
The Cubans looked like the team who would close things out, but Japan came back from a 14-11 deficit in the tie-breaker with resilient showings from opposite Yuji Nishida, setter Masahiro Sekita and middle blocker Akihiro Yamauchi to clinch the 3-2 (18-25, 25-22, 25-23, 19-25, 22-20) win against the Volleyball Nations League 2024 odds favourites Cuba.
“I’m happy that we managed to win such a big match here. We had a lot of changes in our lineup today, but it doesn’t matter who’s on the court. We’re getting ready for the Olympics, which we know are going to be very difficult, but the experience we’re getting here will certainly help us,” Japanese opposite Kento Miyaura stated after the match.
However, the Asian side couldn’t use momentum to their advantage, as they lost their next match in Week 1 against Italy in four sets.
Now with a 3-1 record, Japan will face off against Iran to start off their Week 2 campaign at Fukuoka against Iran. Fortunately for Japan, they’ll have a more comfortable atmosphere playing at home with a roaring Japanese crowd cheering them on.
Iran, on the other hand, started their campaign with winless Week 1 results. They’re currently the runt of the litter, with a 0-4 record and 0.897 overall points.
Playing close to home could give the Iranian squad some much-needed confidence to turn their season around, but it’ll be a tall task to garner winning Volleyball Nations League 2024 results against a red-hot Japanese outfit, who will have the entire stadium cheering for the home team in Fukuoka.
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