The United States continued their strong run in the opening week of the Volleyball Nations League 2023 in Antalya, Turkey, defeating Italy in their second significant showdown within three days.
Earlier in the day, Poland notched up their third VNL 2023 victory, while Canada claimed their inaugural tournament triumph. Poland presented a formidable display against Thailand, securing a three-set victory (25-20, 25-16, 25-15). Martyna Lukasik, the Polish outside hitter, earned 11 points, surpassing Thailand’s Chatchu-On Moksri’s total score.
Shortly after, Canada celebrated their first VNL 2023 win, sweeping Korea (25-17, 25-16, 25-18). Key performers Layne Van Buskirk and Alexa Gray led the North American victory, securing 18 and 11 points respectively, while Kim Miyoun from Korea tallied 10 points.
In the closing match of Day 4, the American team faced off against VNL defending champions Italy. This face-off resulted in a thrilling tie-breaker match mirroring their five-set debut victory over reigning world champions Serbia. They triumphed over Italy 3-2 (25-16, 14-25, 22-25, 25-20, 15-9) at the Antalya Sports Hall in Pool 1.
Leading scorers for the American team were outside hitters Khalia Lanier (16 points) and Veronica Perry-Jones (15). Despite Italy’s defeat, Sylvia Nwakalor emerged as one of the match’s top scorers with 20 points, followed closely by Loveth Omoruyi and Myriam Sylla, who scored 17 and 16 points respectively.
