Brazil opened their campaign at the NOW Arena in Chicago, USA, with a confident 3-0 win over Canada (25-22, 25-17, 25-17). Alan Souza led the scoring with 15 points, while Henrique Honorato added 11. The result moved Brazil into second place in the standings, overtaking Japan, who had lost earlier to Bulgaria.
“It’s the start of a new week, and I’m proud of how we played,” said Honorato. “We were patient and stuck to the plan.”
Earlier in the day, Italy defeated Poland in a closely contested five-set match (25-17, 23-25, 21-25, 25-20, 15-11). This was Poland’s first loss in the tournament, though they remain at the top of the table. Italy’s Alessandro Michieletto scored 18 points, and Gianluca Galassi added 15 in a balanced team effort.
In the evening match, hosts USA came from behind to beat China 3-2 (25-22, 21-25, 19-25, 25-16, 15-11). Jordan Ewert led the Americans with 18 points, while Kyle Ensing contributed 12. The win puts the USA in ninth place, with China just behind in twelfth.
In Belgrade, Iran secured a 3-1 victory over Serbia (25-21, 25-19, 23-25, 25-23). Amin Esmaeilnezhad was the top scorer of the match with 31 points, guiding Iran to a strong start to their second week of play.
- BRA W: Ana Cristina Suffers Knee Injury, Out of VNL Japan Stage
- VNL W: Italy Sweep Serbia, Stay Unbeaten in VNL – Dutch Beat Belgium to Keep Finals Hope Alive
- ITA M: Bulgarian Talent Zhasmin Velichkov Joins MINT Vero Volley Monza
- VNL W: Japan Sweeps Korea, Brazil Outlasts France
- VNL W: Türkiye Books 2025 VNL Finals Spot with Dominant Win Over Netherlands
