The second week of the Men’s Volleyball Nations League ended in high adrenaline as teams from across the globe faced off in thrilling encounters in Rotterdam and Orleans.
In Orleans, Pool 4’s intense battle was fought between Cuba and Bulgaria. A nail-biting game stretched into overtime in the fifth set, with Cuba claiming a slim victory, 3-2 (23-25, 25-19, 25-20, 16-25, 18-16). Jesus Herrera of Cuba dominated the court, delivering a match high of 27 points, including six aces. On the Bulgarian side, Aleksandar Nikolov was the most prolific scorer with 23 points.
The excitement didn’t end there, as Brazil crushed the hopes of French fans with a four-set victory. Brazil took the match 3-1 (24-20, 26-24, 19-25, 25-23), led by Alan Souza’s 24 points and Ricardo Lucarelli’s significant contribution of 15 points. Stephen Boyer led the French offensive, scoring 17 points.
In Rotterdam, Pool 3 witnessed an exceptional performance by Poland against Italy. Poland rebounded strongly from a previous three-set loss to the United States, beating Italy 3-1 (25-19, 28-26, 18-25, 25-20). Bartosz Kurek, the Polish captain, led all scorers with 20 points, closely followed by Wilfredo Leon, who contributed 16 points. Daniele Lavia and Yuri Romanò led the Italian squad, both scoring 18 points.
To conclude the second week of the Nations League, Serbia secured their second win, overcoming the host team, the Netherlands, in a thrilling 3-2 (22-25, 25-21, 21-25, 35-33, 15-9) victory. Serbia’s most effective players were Miran Kujundzic with 26 points, Drazen Luburic with 20 points, and Petar Krsmanovic with 17. Maarten Van Garderen stood out for the Dutch, scoring 19 points, followed by Bennie Tuinstra with 17, and Nimir Abdel-Aziz with 14, though Abdel-Aziz had to leave the game early due to injury.
VNL 2023 – 2nd week
Pool 4 – Orleans (France)
Bulgaria vs Cuba 2-3 (25-23, 19-25, 20-25, 25-16, 16-18)
Brazil vs France 3-1 (25-20, 26-24, 19-25, 25-23)
Pool 3 – Rotterdam (Netherlands)
Italy vs Poland 1-3 (19-25, 26-28, 25-18, 20-25)
Netherlands vs Serbia 2-3 (25-22, 21-25, 25-21, 33-35, 9-15)
