The second week of the Volleyball Nations League (VNL) 2023 kicked off in Brasilia, featuring some thrilling matches in Pool 4. The day was marked by USA’s continued dominance, and Serbia’s much-anticipated first win of the season.
In the first match, Croatia showed promise, claiming their inaugural set of the tournament. However, their efforts were not enough to thwart the unassailable United States team. The USA responded with resilience, securing a 3-1 (17-25, 25-22, 25-18, 25-15) victory. This win further cements the Americans’ position among the three undefeated teams in VNL 2023, ranking them third, just behind China and Poland. Jordan Thompson and Alexandra Frantti spearheaded the American offense, each accumulating 17 points. Khalia Lanier contributed an additional 13 points. On the Croatian side, Laura Miloš scored 15 points, with Andrea Mihaljević and Dijana Karatović chipping in 14 points each.
The second match of the day brought a change of fortune for Serbia, the reigning world champions. After a disheartening first week in Antalya without a win, they started week two on a high note, securing their first victory of the season against Japan. The Serbians managed to edge past Japan, one of the tournament’s top performers from week one, in a closely contested 3-2 (16-25, 25-20, 16-15, 25-20, 15-10) win. Serbia’s victory was largely attributed to the performance of rising star Aleksandra Uzelac who led the scoring with 23 points. Katarina Lazovic, Jovana Stevanovic, and Ana Bjelica also played pivotal roles, contributing 16, 13, and 13 points respectively.
