Returning stars help Italy overcome Ukraine in Hong Kong

After using a younger lineup in the first two weeks of the Volleyball Nations League (VNL) 2026 Preliminary Phase, back-to-back defending champions Italy brought the cavalry back for the third and last week of the event and counted on contributions from many of their most accomplished players to secure a win on Wednesday in Hong Kong.

Playing their first match of the week in Asia, the reigning Olympic and world champions were faced with VNL rookies Ukraine and overcame a second-set upset to triumph 3-1 (25-15, 23-25, 25-10, 25-21).

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With their seventh victory in nine matches and 21 points collected, the Italians continue to chase the United States and Brazil, who top the VNL 2026 standings with eight wins and 23 points each, to end the Preliminary Phase in first place.

Rested in the first two weeks of the VNL 2026, outside hitter Myriam Sylla (12 points), middle blockers Sarah Fahr (14) and Anna Danesi (nine), setter Alessia Orro (four) and opposite Paola Egonu (three) all played roles in the Italian triumph. By getting two blocks, the 27-year-old Egonu also reached the mark of 100 VNL career points in the skill.

Star opposite Ekaterina Antropova, who has been with the team since the VNL 2026 opening week, continued in great form and led the Italians to victory with a 25-point (19 kills, four aces, two blocks) performance, her best in the tournament so far.

"We're very excited to have our entire team back this week and to be able to play the VNL together again," Antropova said. "We obviously need to get some games to get our rhythm back. I'm really happy that we didn't go to five today because Ukraine played amazingly."

Ukraine, which are 15th in the VNL standings with two wins and six points, got 12 points (all in kills) from team captain and middle blocker Svitlana Dorsman and another 11 (also all in kills) from opposite Anna Artyshuk.

A few hours later, Canada secured what could be a key result in their attempt to qualify for the VNL Finals by taking down China 3-2 (19-25, 25-17, 25-22, 23-25, 15-11). The North Americans had an impressive three players overcoming the 20-point mark in the match, with opposite Kiera Van Ryk leading the way with 27 and outside hitters Alexa Gray and Abagayle Guezen adding 25 and 22, respectively. The Canadians are now sixth in the VNL 2026 with six wins and 17 points, while the Chinese, who are already guaranteed in the Finals as the host country, rank ninth with five wins and 15 points.

Another five-setter took place in the first match of the day, with Belgium overcoming the Dominican Republic 3-2 (25-19, 25-20, 14-25, 24-26, 15-12). Belgian opposite Pauline Martin scored 22 points (21 kills, one ace) in the match, one more than Dominican outside hitter Yonkaira Peña. The Europeans are 12th with four wins and ten points, while the Caribbean are 17th with a win and six points.

Four of those six national teams will be in action in Hong Kong on Thursday, with Belgium and Canada meeting at 17:00 local time (9:00 GMT) and China and Ukraine clashing at 20:30 (12:30 GMT).

Brazil take Japan down in Osaka

In Osaka, the first day of action featured a duel involving two of the best teams in the world, which had Brazil making the most of their blocking to beat hosts Japan 3-1 (25-20, 19-25, 25-19, 25-23). Outside hitter Julia Bergmann scored 21 points (19 kills, two blocks) for Brazil, which are second in the VNL with eight wins and 23 points, while captain Mayu Ishikawa reached the same mark with 19 kills and two aces for Japan, which dropped to sixth with six wins and 16 points.

VNL 2026 leaders the United States also got the job done on the opening day in Osaka, counting on 17 points from Olympic champion opposite Jordan Thompson to sweep Thailand 3-0 (25-21, 25-18, 25-20). The Americans have eight wins and 23 points, while the Asians, which rank 14th, have two victories and nine points.

Also inside the qualification zone for the Finals, Türkiye swapped places with Poland, going from fifth to fourth after topping their continental rivals 3-1 (27-25, 20-25, 25-19, 25-19). Star opposite Melissa Vargas carried the Turkish offense with 23 points (22 kills, one ace).

On Thursday, the Americans play the Poles at 13:00 local time (4:00 GMT) while the Japanese face the Thais at 19:20 (10:20 GMT).

The Netherlands sweep France

In Belgrade, the Netherlands continue strong in the race for a spot in the Finals after starting their third-week campaign with a dominant 3-0 (25-22, 25-18, 25-23) win over France. Outside hitter Laura Jansen scored 15 points (12 kills, three blocks) for the Dutch, who are just outside the qualification zone, in eighth place, with five wins and 15 points. France continue at the bottom of the standings with a win and four points and have four more matches to avoid relegation.

Also looking to make a push for the Finals, Germany and Czechia met in a match that had the Germans coming from behind to beat their continental rivals 3-1 (22-25, 25-15, 25-22, 25-17). German outside hitter Leana Grozer, who faced her Czech stepmother Helena Grozer in the match, topped all scorers with 18 points (15 kills, two aces, one block). The result made the Germans pass the Czechs for tenth place - both teams have four wins, but they have 14 points to their opponents' 11.

Counting on the support of their home fans and 16 points from outside hitter Anja Zubić, Serbia defeated Bulgaria 3-0 (25-16, 25-19, 27-25). The result helped the Serbians get to three wins and 13 points, continuing in 13th place, but creating some separation from the bottom of the standings, while the Bulgarians remain involved in the fight to avoid relegation, ranking 16th with two wins and five points.

Thursday's match schedule in the Serbian capital will have Czechia facing the Netherlands at 16:30 local time (14:30 GMT) and the home team meeting France at 20:00 (18:00 GMT).

VNL 2026 schedule and results
VNL 2026 ticket information

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