France secure first VNL 2025 victory on the back of Ndiaye’s 30 points

Iman Ndiaye delivered the fifth 30-point performance of the Volleyball Nations League 2025 on Friday and helped France secure their first victory in the seventh edition of the tournament in Beijing.

After dropping their first Pool 3 match on Wednesday, the French felt the taste of victory in the Chinese capital, taking Belgium down on the third day of action. In the other match held at the National Indoor Stadium, reigning European champions Türkiye overcame Thailand to continue undefeated.

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Coming from an upset in their opening match against the Turkish on Wednesday, the French showed determination to overcome a Belgian team was full of confidence after beating Thailand on Thursday and got their first victory on the board by prevailing 3-1 (25-22, 13-25, 25-13, 25-19).

One of six players who represented the French in their first Olympic appearance last year who are available for head coach César Hernández in the opening week of the VNL 2025, opposite Ndiaye made a difference for them, registering a whopping 30 points (24 kills, four aces, two blocks) in the European Derby. The 23-year-old was just the fifth player to reach the 30-point mark in the VNL 2025 so far.

“I think we just showed a lot of fight, there was a lot of energy,” Ndiaye said. “We started the first set strong, then lost a bit, but we came back, so that’s really important for us. In the fourth set, we just wanted to finish the job. We had done very well in the third set, so we just wanted to keep the momentum that we had.”

The French had three other significant offensive contributors in team captain and outside hitter Amélie Rotar, who tallied 13 points (11 kills, two blocks), and middle blocker Amandha Sylves and outside hitter Maéva Schalk, who added ten each.

The winning side had an illustrious fan in the stands in their first VNL 2025 victory as basketball superstar Victor Wembanyama attended the match in Beijing and supported his country’s national team.

Star outside hitter Britt Herbots, who had registered 31 points in Belgium’s victory over Thailand on Thursday, was limited to 14 against the French, but was again the team’s most productive player.

Türkiye continue undefeated

In the second match of the day in Beijing, Türkiye returned to action after having the day off on Thursday and dominated Thailand to triumph 3-0 (25-23, 25-14, 25-22) and continue undefeated in the tournament. The Europeans were very strong at the net, outscoring the Asians in blocks by 14 to five.

A new player with head coach Daniele Santarelli’s team in 2025, opposite Alexia Karutasu was Türkiye’s most effective player against the Thais, producing a team-high 19 points (ten kills, five aces, four blocks). Outside hitters Derya Cebecioğlu and Yaprak Erkek added 11 and ten, respectively.

“It’s never easy against Thailand,” Karutasu reflected. “Their defense is incredible, and it’s really hard to score on them. I’m really happy that we managed to win such a tough match, and I’m really proud of my team. Our team is very young and we have a lot of energy. We want to do great things together, and I can’t wait for the next matches to come.”

Star opposite Pimpichaya Kokram was again Thailand’s leading scorer – she delivered 15 points, all in kills. Outside hitter Donphon Sinpho scored ten, with eight blocks, one kill and one ace.

VNL 2025 – Match Schedule & Results

Four of the six teams that are part of Pool 3 will be on the court on Saturday in Beijing. The undefeated Türkiye and Poland will meet first, at 15:00 local time (7:00 GMT), while hosts China return to action later, at 19:30 (11:30 GMT), to play France.

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