VNL 2025

Italy, Turkiye and Boskovic highlight VNL lineup in Apeldoorn

Belgium, Czechia and hosts Netherlands will also compete in Pool 7 of women’s competition week three

Published 11:20, 08 Jul 2025

Serbian star Tijana Boskovic ready to go

Serbian star Tijana Boskovic ready to go

The champions of the previous two editions of the women’s Volleyball Nations League – Italy and Turkiye – highlight the line-up of the Apeldoorn pool in the third competition week of this year’s edition. They will be joined by Czechia, hosts Netherlands, Belgium and reigning world champions Serbia (with star opposite Tijana Boskovic now on the squad), listed in the order of their positions in the current VNL standings, for the matches in Pool 7 starting on Wednesday, June 9.

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A total of 12 matches will be played in Apeldoorn this week, from July 9 to 13, with each of the six teams – Belgium, Czechia, Italy, the Netherlands, Serbia and Turkiye – appearing in four of them. The daily programs for Wednesday and Sunday will feature three games each, while Thursday, Friday and Saturday will offer two matches a day.

The presence of captain Tijana Boskovic in Serbia’s roster for the week is undoubtedly the big news from Apeldoorn, but also an expected move from coach Zoran Terzic, given that his team has not won any matches this VNL yet and stand bottom of the table, in the relegation-doomed 18th place on a 0-8 win-loss record and 5 points. Having lost five tie-breaker sets so far, Serbia is in desperate need of a boost like Boskovic in order to finally start winning some matches in the final push for salvation in the VNL.

“I feel great and I am happy to be back with the team. The coach will decide how much I am going to play, but I think I am ready to help the team. These will be the last four games for us in this year’s VNL, so of course, we want to show our best performance. I know that our position is not the best right now, but honestly, I don’t feel pressure and I am not worried, because I believe that we will fight and we will show good volleyball.” Tijana Boskovic, opposite and captain of Serbia

And while at this point Serbia is an unlikely candidate for a spot in the Finals, all the other five teams in Apeldoorn have their chances to qualify for Lodz. Serbia’s first challenge in Apeldoorn will come from VNL newcomers Czechia, who have been having a fantastic rookie season so far and are currently standing right below the cutoff for the Finals, in ninth place on 4-4 and 10. Serbia and Czechia will open Apeldoorn for business on Wednesday, July 9, at 13:00 local time (11:00 UTC).

Undefeated Italy are practically a safe bet for the Finals. On 8-0 and 22, the Olympic champions lead the standings and look certain to continue the defense of their VNL crown at the Finals. Turkiye seem well on their way to Lodz as well. The 2023 VNL winners stand fourth on 7-1 and 19. The big clash between the two in Apeldoorn is scheduled on Saturday, July 12, at 19:00 (17:00).

Belgium and hosts Netherlands are neighbors geographically, but also very close to one another in the current VNL standings. The Dutch team is in 12th place on 3-5 and 10, while Belgium are two spots below them on 3-5 and 8. Their encounter on Thursday at 20:30 (18:30) is bound to attract a lot of additional attention from the local fans.

The VNL Preliminary Phase features three competition weeks, with each of the 18 teams playing a total of 12 matches. The eight best-ranked national teams in the Preliminary Phase will qualify for the Finals, which will be held in Lodz, Poland from July 23 to 27, with the host country already with a guaranteed spot.

Volleyball Nations League 2025: full schedule and results

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