In a important victory, Serbia triumphed over the Netherlands with a decisive 3-0 win (25-17, 25-20, 26-24) in their Volleyball Nations League Pool 4 match in Ottawa. This victory ends a streak of three consecutive losses for Serbia and reignites their pursuit of a spot in the Olympic Games.
The win awarded Serbia nine points, bringing them within four points of Cuba and distancing the Netherlands by 18 points, reducing the Dutch team’s chances of qualifying for the Olympics to mere theory.
A pivotal moment in the match was Pavle Perić’s three ace serves in the third set, securing Serbia’s maximum victory. The Serbian team, led by Igor Kolaković, dominated the first set from the start, maintaining a five-point lead that the Dutch could not overcome. Serbia continued their strong performance into the second set, quickly establishing an 8-3 lead. Although the Netherlands narrowed the gap to 21-19, Serbia finished the set strongly to secure a substantial lead.
In the third set, despite a spirited effort by Dutch captain Nimir Abdel-Aziz, Serbia maintained their momentum. With Perić’s serving prowess, they clinched the final set and the match at 3-0.
France Overcomes Italy in Five-Set Thriller
The French volleyball team achieved a hard-fought victory over reigning world champions Italy, winning 3-2 (25-23, 18-25, 25-23, 19-25, 15-10) in Ottawa during the second stage of the Nations League. This win comes just two months before the Olympic Games, where the French team hopes to replicate their Tokyo success.
Despite the absence of Earvin Ngapeth due to a muscle injury and Barthélémy Chinenyeze due to knee pain, France managed to secure their fourth win in five matches, climbing to sixth place.
Germany Defeats Bulgaria in Fukuoka
In another Nations League match held in Pool 3 in Fukuoka, Japan, Brazil secured a 3-1 victory over Iran, while Germany achieved the same result against Bulgaria.
