VNL 2025

Japan maintain perfect week with big win over Poland

16 kill blocks not enough for Poland to overcome the opponent

Published 01:19, 12 Jul 2025

Japan (JPN) vs. Poland (POL) women - Pool 9 - Preliminary Phase #51234362

Japan’s Haruyo Shimamura in action against Poland

Japan extended their women’s Volleyball Nations League winning streak to four consecutive matches with a four-set victory over Poland in Chiba on Saturday. They improved to a 9-2 win-loss record and 27 points in third place in the current VNL standings. Poland, the hosts of the Finals in Lodz in a couple of week, occupy fourth place on 8-3 and 24.

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Outside hitter and captain Mayu Ishikawa powered Japan towards a 3-1 (25-21, 23-25, 25-23, 25-22) victory to delight the home crowd and close the competition day in Chiba. She put together a match-high 22 points, including two aces. Her cross-court teammate Yoshino Sato also fired two direct serving points and piled up a total of 17 points. Middle blocker Haruyo Shimamura registered a 62% success rate in attack and produced a kill block for the match winner, wrapping up the game with a 14-point contribution.

“It was a tough game, but I am really happy to have won it,” Ishikawa told VBTV. “For sure, our defense was working well during the game. When they took a point, we always kept calm and tried to focus on the next step, so we could get a good result.”

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Poland’s star captain, middle Agnieszka Korneluk, authored as many as seven of her team’s 16 kill blocks in the match and finished with a total of 18 points. Opposite Malwina Smarzek added four stuffs towards a team-high 19 points, while outside Martyna Lukasik chipped in with another 15 putaways.

The day’s first match in Apeldoorn between Czechia and hosts Netherlands is already underway. It will be followed by a big game between Italy and Turkiye, starting at 19:00 local time (17:00 UTC).