Slovenia’s men’s national team continued their remarkable run in the Volleyball Nations League (VNL), securing a stunning victory over Italy in Ljubljana. Cheered on by 11,000 enthusiastic fans at a packed Stožice Arena, Slovenia swept Italy 3-0 (25-19, 25-21, 25-19), maintaining their top position in the VNL standings.
This victory marks Slovenia’s third consecutive win this week, following their historic qualification for the Paris Olympics. They remain the only team with ten victories, holding 26 points and poised to enter the VNL Finals as the top seed.
Tonček Štern led the Slovenian charge, scoring 21 points (16 kills, three blocks, two aces), while Klemen Čebulj added nine points. Italy’s offense was spearheaded by Mattia Bottolo, who scored 11 points (ten kills, one ace), and Luca Porro with eight kills.
In another thrilling match, Poland edged Serbia 3-2 (25-21, 21-25, 25-18, 22-25, 15-11), with Bartlomiej Boładź scoring 25 points (20 kills, five aces). Kamil Semeniuk and Aleksander Śliwka contributed 18 and 15 points respectively. Marko Ivović led Serbia with 14 points.
This result kept Serbia in the hunt for the last spot at the Paris Olympics, which will be decided in Sunday’s matches. Cuba and Serbia are neck and neck in the FIVB World Ranking points, with Cuba facing Poland and Serbia playing against Slovenia.
Additionally, Argentina defeated Bulgaria 3-0 (25-22, 25-17, 25-20), bolstered by Bruno Lima’s 14 points.
Results:
- Slovenia 3-0 Italy
- Germany 1-3 USA
- Canada 3-2 Netherlands
- Bulgaria 0-3 Argentina
- France 2-3 Japan
- Serbia 2-3 Poland
