VNL 2026

Brazil put up block party to beat Japan in Wednesday’s big VNL match

13 kill blocks secure the South Americans a four-set win in Osaka

Published 02:17, 08 Jul 2026

Japan (JPN) vs. Brazil (BRA) - Pool 9 - Preliminary Phase #112517262

Brazil’s Julia Kudiess in net defense action against Japan

Brazil put up as many as 13 kill blocks to help secure a big win over hosts Japan in a clash between the silver medalists of the previous two editions, as the third competition week of the women’s Volleyball Nations League got underway on Wednesday.

Watch the Volleyball Nations League 2026 on VBTV

The South Americans achieved a 3-1 (25-20, 19-25, 25-19, 25-23) victory over Japan in front of a crowd of well over seven thousand fans in Osaka to improve to an 8-1 win-loss record and 23 points and occupy second place in the current VNL standings, behind the United States on set ratios. It was the third loss in a row for the Asian team and they dropped to 6-3 and 16 in sixth place, still within the zone for the Finals.

Brazil outperformed Japan in attack by 62-55 in spike kills, and in blocking by 13-2 in kill blocks. Middle blocker Julia Kudiess authored five of Brazil’s 13 stuffs, including the match winner, and spiked at an 80% success rate to finish with 13 points. Her cross-court teammate Diana Alecrim registered an impressive 100% success rate in swinging and added four kill blocks, also signing off with 13 points.

Outside hitter Julia Bergmann led Brazil with a total of 21 points, including two stuffs, to match Japan counterpart and captain Mayu Ishikawa, whose 21-point tally featured two aces. Japan actually outplayed Brazil from the serving line by 5-2 in aces. They also committed fewer unforced errors – 17 against 25. 22-year-old Brazilian opposite Ana Cristina also reached the double digits with 19 points. So did Japan’s opposite Yukiko Wada with 16 points and outside Yoshino Sato with 14.

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The fourth set was the most interesting one of the four. Facing a six-point deficit at 14-8, Brazil rallied back with Ana Cristina spearheading their attack. They finally caught up at 22-22 and, one rally later, scored three points in a row to close the match.

“It’s amazing how we came back in that fourth set. We didn’t stop fighting through the entire set. We were digging balls and running long rallies on both sides. I am really proud of my team for this set and for this game, in general,” Julia Bergmann told VBTV. “It’s fun to play in full gyms. The crowd is really, really fun here. They love volleyball, so I guess they were cheering even if we had the points during a rally. I love playing in Japan, I love playing against Japan, and I am very happy that we could win by 3-1.”

“We couldn’t win today, but we showed a good game. Of course, we would like to play better in the next one,” said Mayu Ishikawa. “Thailand are a kind of similar team to us. Our side-out is going to be very important for us, so we’d like to focus on this.”