The first two days of the Volleyball Nations League 2022 are in the books and after the conclusion of the first eight matches of the fourth edition of the tournament, each of the 16 women’s teams competing in the VNL has already played in either Ankara, Türkiye, or Shreveport-Bossier City, USA.
VNL 2022
The early numbers and stats of the 2022 VNL
Players from several different teams stood out in the first two days of the fourth edition of the tournament
Published 07:26, 02 Jun 2022
Belgian Britt Herbots was the only player to score 30 or more points so far
· Watch all VNL 2022 matches on Volleyball TV.
The 16 national teams have used 169 different players, with most coaches exploring the depth of their rosters to win matches. Three-time defending champions USA were the notable exception, as head coach Karch Kiraly kept the players who started in their three-set victory against the Dominican Republic on the court during the entire match, making no substitutions.
Italy and Germany, who dropped their opening matches to Türkiye and Brazil respectively, certainly tried to avoid setbacks, and both used all but one of their 14 available players in their attempt to change the course of their matches.
The only player to reach the 30-point mark in the VNL so far, Belgian outside hitter Britt Herbots was the most productive player in the first two days of the event. The top scorer of last year’s edition of the VNL registered 31 points against Serbia, but was unable to help Belgium avoid a 3-1 defeat against the reigning world champions. Dutch opposite Celeste Plak, who scored 24 points in her team’s 3-1 defeat to China, and new Japanese captain Sarina Koga, who led her team in their sweep of rivals Korea with 22, were the second and third best scorers in the first two days of the VNL.
Unsurprisingly, Herbots and Plak also rank first and second in attacking points so far, with 27 and 22, respectively. The third player on the list is Serbian opposite and captain Ana Bjelica, who tallied 21 against the Dutch.
One of her teammates, middle blocker Maja Aleksic, leads the VNL in blocks with seven. Brazilian Ana Carolina ‘Carol’ da Silva, who had six stuffs against Germany, and Belgian Marlies Janssens, with five, also offered significant contributions to their teams with their blocking.
Herbots was one of three players to register three aces in her first appearance in the VNL 2022. The Belgian outside hitter joined Thai opposite Pimpichaya Kokram, who reached the same mark against Bulgaria in the tournament’s opening match, and Turkish outside hitter Hande Baladin.
Japanese player Matsui Tamaki took a big part in her team’s victory against Korea with 30 successful sets, the highest mark in Tuesday and Wednesday's matches. Brazilian Macris Carneiro and American Lauren Carlini came right after with 23.
Tokyo Olympic silver medallists Brazil were solid on the backcourt in their victory against Germany and have the VNL leaders in digs and passes. Libero Nyeme Nunes is at the top of the rankings in the first category, with 25 completed actions. She’s followed by Polish Maria Stenzel, with 23, and Japanese outside hitter Mayu Ishikawa, with 21.
With passing, outside hitter Julia Bergmann is in the lead with 37 actions. Canadian outside hitter Alexa Gray, with 33, and German libero Anna Pogany, with 29, complete the top three in that category.
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