Poland extended their spotless start at the 2025 FIVB Volleyball Men’s U21 World Championship, sweeping Canada on Saturday to claim a third straight win without dropping a set, while Iran also stayed unbeaten in Pool B after a five-set battle with Korea, and China, USA, Czechia, Japan and Italy preserved their undefeated records in front of a lively crowd at Jiangmen Sports Center.

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Poland stretched their perfect run in Pool B with a third straight sweep, defeating Canada 3-0 (26-24, 25-18, 25-20). Canada pushed hard in the opening set, forcing the Europeans to grind out a narrow 26-24 win, but once Poland crossed that hurdle they tightened their play and closed the next two frames more comfortably.

The Europeans spread their scoring evenly, with Wojciech Gajek the only player in double figures, finishing with 11 points from 10 attacks and a block. Felix-Antoine Perron matched that output for Canada with 11 points, but his side could not generate enough consistent support to trouble the Polish rhythm.

Although Canada held slim leads in attacks 33-32, blocks 6-5 and aces 3-2, Poland’s fewer errors, only 21 in total, proved decisive. The result gave the Poles their third consecutive win without dropping a set.

Iran also stayed unbeaten in Pool B, outlasting Korea 3-2 (31-33, 25-15, 25-22, 22-25, 15-12). Korea struck first by taking the extended opening set 33-31, but Iran responded with wins in the next two frames. Korea forced a decider by taking the fourth, sending the match to a fifth set.

Ali Mombeni led all scorers with 34 points on 31 attacks and three blocks. Seyed Matin Hosseini Tolouti added 19 from 13 attacks, five blocks and an ace, and Taha Behboudnia contributed 16 with 10 attacks and six blocks. Lee Woojin paced Korea with 16, while Yun Seojin and Yun Gyeong had 15 each and Lim Ingyu scored 13.

In the deciding frame, Iran gained the early edge at 8-5 and kept the advantage despite Korea closing to within one at 13-12. The defending champions sealed the contest by scoring the final two points.

In Pool A, China kept its hold on the top spot with a commanding 3-0 (25-18, 25-17, 25-19) victory over Thailand. Riding the energy of a home crowd in Jiangmen, the hosts imposed their rhythm early and never allowed Thailand a chance to build momentum, improving to 3-0 to stay in control of the standings.

The Chinese side dominated across all phases, registering 47 kills, five aces and 10 blocks despite conceding 16 points on errors. Outside hitter Li Hai spearheaded the attack with 16 points, while Zhang Zhiqiang added 14 from 12 attacks and two blocks. Middle blocker Wang Bohan contributed 11, and Shi Taier anchored the defense with six blocks among his 10 points. Thailand’s captain, Kittipong Sangsak, led his team with nine points.

The United States also stayed unbeaten in Pool A after a five-set win against Egypt, 3-2 (26-24, 31-33, 37-35, 23-25, 15-10). Both sides relied heavily on offense, with the Americans producing 78 kills to Egypt’s 61. Riggs Guy led with 26 points on 23 attacks, two blocks and an ace, while Sebastiano Sani added 19. Kyler Wade scored 16, Trevell Jordan 15 and Micah Cleveland Goss 10.

Egypt had four double-digit scorers, headed by Mahmoud Abdelbaki (Houda) who tallied 31 on 28 attacks, one block and two aces. Hamza Awad supported with 17, Ahmed Salama added 14 and Ibrahim Abdelmaksood 12. After splitting the first four frames, including a 33-31 win for Egypt in the second and a marathon 37-35 for USA in the third, the Americans finally carved out breathing room in the decider, breaking away mid-frame and finishing 15-10 to clinch their third straight win.

Over in Pool C, Czechia recorded their third win by sweeping Brazil 3-0 (25-21, 25-20, 25-23). The Europeans controlled the match with 42 attacks, nine blocks and four aces, and stood firm even when Brazil mounted their strongest push in the third set.

Thomas Brichta scored 16 points to lead Czechia, while Stepan Svoboda and Matej Pastrnak added 10 apiece. Felipe Parra Albuquerque was Brazil’s only player in double figures with 10, as the Czech defense contained the rest of the lineup.

Japan also preserved their spotless record in Pool C, overcoming Cuba 3-0 (25-23, 25-17, 25-8). The Cubans challenged in the opening set but faded afterward, with Japan’s pace and serving turning the match decisively in their favor.

Daniel Guillermo Martinez Campos carried Cuba early, scoring nine of his 17 points in the first set and seven more in the second before being substituted late. On the Japanese side, Takuma Kawano and Shunta Ono scored 16 each, with Kawano adding three blocks and Ono six aces. Kai Yamamoto chipped in 13 and Yuzuki Akimoto 11 to complete a balanced attack.

The headline clash in Pool D saw Italy edge France 3-1 (25-22, 22-25, 25-23, 25-23) in a contest that lived up to its billing. Each set was decided by narrow margins, but Italy found the crucial points late to remain unbeaten at 3-0 in the group.

Manuel Zlatanov and Pardo Mati led Italy with 17 points each, while Tomasso Barotto and Lorenzo Magliano also contributed. France matched with four scorers in double figures, including Thomas Pujol, Adrien Roure, Andrej Jokanovic and Daniel Iyegbekedo, but the Italians had the sharper finish in the final two sets to close the match.

Among the day’s other results, Türkiye secured their first victory of the tournament, sweeping Morocco 3-0 (25-20, 25-21, 25-19). The Europeans tallied 13 blocks and five aces, with Aleksey Atilla Oztire, Yilmaz Uner and Selim Yildiz combining for 38 points. Adam Lahsini and Hicham Masmoudi led Morocco with 15 and 12.

Kazakhstan celebrated their first win in Pool B by defeating Puerto Rico 3-0 (25-23, 25-21, 25-16). Artyom Olexenko and Adil Suleimen controlled the middle with 11 and 10 points, while Diyorbek Ikramov delivered 11 attacks. Puerto Rico’s Gustavo Antonio Alvarez Acosta was limited to nine points.

Bulgaria rebounded from their five-set loss to Japan by sweeping Colombia 3-0 (31-29, 25-20, 25-21). After edging a tight opening set, they gained rhythm and closed out the match with steadier side-out play and fewer errors. Zhasmin Velichkov led with 16, Aleksandar Kandev added 14 and Georgi Bachvarov 12. Maicol Isaac Ortiz Castaneda scored 15 for Colombia, and Juan Felipe Velasco Valderruten 10.

Argentina also picked up a win in Pool D, defeating Tunisia 3-0 (25-17, 25-21, 25-23). Emiliano Molini stood out with nine kills, two aces and four blocks, while captain Fausto Diaz added nine points and Leonardo Herbsommer contributed with attack and blocking. Wajih Moalla and Mohamed Aziz Ben Houria led Tunisia with 14 and 10.

Ukraine joined the winners with a five-set triumph over Indonesia, 3-2 (25-18, 26-28, 25-22, 23-25, 15-7). Oleksandr Boiko starred with 33 points from 27 attacks, three blocks and three aces. Four of his teammates also scored in double figures, while Bagas Wijanarko led Indonesia with 16.

2025 FIVB Volleyball Men’s U21 World Championship: full schedule

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