Poland and the United States emerged triumphant at the Volleyball Nations League (VNL) 2023 quarterfinals in Arlington, USA, clinching the first two spots in the tournament’s semifinals.
In the first quarterfinal match, Poland overpowered European adversaries Germany with a 3-1 win (25-12, 21-25, 25-21, 26-24). The victory was largely attributed to Magdalena Stysoak and Olivia Rozanski, who both bagged 18 points, while Martyna Lukasik chipped in 15. Despite Hanna Orthmann of Germany scoring the match’s highest tally with 22 points, Germany’s efforts fell short.
Meanwhile, in the second quarterfinal game, the USA, three-time VNL champions, pleased their home crowd by besting Japan 3-1 (25-23, 25-21, 18-25, 25-18). Annie Drews led the American team with 13 points, bolstered by Kelsey Robinson Cook and Avery Skinner who each added 11. Yukiko Wada of Japan was the top scorer of the match with 14 points, while Arisa Inoue contributed an additional 12 points.
In the upcoming matches, the fourth-placed Brazil will go head-to-head with fifth-placed China, while the third-placed Türkiye team squares off against the sixth-placed Italians in the remaining clashes of the tournament.
