The outside hitter fired 22 points as the rookies upset Germany in Québec City
Published 01:45, 05 Jun 2026
Milenko scored four points in the tiebreaker to lift Ukraine to a historic triumph
History was written on Thursday, the second day of the Volleyball Nations League (VNL) 2026, with rookies Ukraine prevailing in a dramatic five-set battle to earn their first-ever victory in the tournament.
Taking part in the event for the first time, the Ukrainians saw fellow Europeans Germany come back after they won the first two sets, but they had what it took to finish strong and triumph 3-2 (25-21, 30-28, 14-25, 19-25, 15-13) in Québec City, Canada.
Ukraine vs. Germany - Highlights | Women's VNL 2026
Currently in 16th place in the FIVB World Rankings, Ukraine earned the right to replace the relegated Korea in the 2026 edition of the tournament. They fell in straight sets to international powerhouse the United States in their debut on Wednesday, but built on it to upset the 11th-placed Germany on the second day of matches in Canada.
Oleksandra Milenko was a key name in Ukraine's victory. The 26-year-old left-handed outside hitter scored a match-high 22 points (18 kills, three aces, one block), including four in the tiebreaker. Opposite Viktoriia Danchak came next with 17 points (15 kills, one block, one ace), while Germany got 22 points (18 kills, two blocks, two aces) from 19-year-old outside hitter Leana Grozer and another 21 (20 kills, one ace) from opposite Emilia Weske.
"It's an amazing feeling right now," Milenko said. "I almost feel like I want to cry because not long ago we would consider winning a match at this level impossible. Germany came back, but we kept believing in our team, and tried to find the energy to finish strong, and everyone helped each other."
Another upset followed in Québec City, with hosts Canada delivering a tremendous performance to take down continental rivals the United States for the first time in VNL history.
Propelled by excellent showings from opposite Kiera Van Ryk, who tallied 17 points (12 kills, four blocks, one ace), and outside hitter Alexa Gray, who added 14 (12 kills, two aces), the Canadians won 3-0 (25-22, 25-22, 30-28) to please their home fans.
Friday's match schedule in Québec City will have Ukraine facing Japan at 16:30 local time (20:30 GMT) and France meeting the USA at 20:00 (00:00 GMT, Saturday).
The pool hosted in Brasília, Brazil, also had an upset on Thursday, with the Netherlands taking FIVB World Ranking No. 3 Türkiye down in straight sets (25-23, 25-17, 25-18).
Young outside hitter Helena Kok, 21, delivered an excellent performance and led the Dutch with 17 points (15 kills, two blocks), being helped by opposite Elles Dambrink (12) and middle blocker Indy Baijens (11).
The second match of the day had hosts Brazil coming from behind to defeat the Dominican Republic 3-1 (23-25, 25-18, 25-11, 25-15) and earn their second victory in the tournament. Opposite Tainara Santos topped all scorers with 20 points (18 kills, one block, one ace).
Another two matches will be held on Friday in Brasília - the Dominican Republic and Bulgaria play first, at 16:30 local time (19:30 GMT), while the Netherlands and Italy clash later, at 20:00 (23:00 GMT).
In Nanjing, Poland kept their record clean, earning their second victory in the VNL 2026. After going to five sets against Belgium in their debut on Wednesday, the Europeans needed only three to overcome Czechia 3-0 (25-22, 25-22, 25-20).
Martyna Łukasic led the Polish offense with 15 points (13 kills, two blocks), two more than fellow outside hitter Monika Lampkowska (formerly Fedusio), who got all her 13 points in kills.
The other match of the day lasted much longer and saw hosts China overcome Asian rivals Thailand 3-2 (25-14, 24-26, 25-19, 23-25, 15-7) in a match full of long rallies and dynamic offenses. Outside hitter Zhuang Yushan carried the home team to victory with 21 points (20 kills, one block).
The next round of matches in Nanjing will only have European teams on the court, with Belgium and Czechia clashing at 15:00 local time (7:00 GMT) and Serbia and Poland following at 19:30 (11:30 GMT).
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