The only undefeated teams in the Volleyball Nations League 2024 entering the third week of the Preliminary Phase, Brazil and Poland featured in one of the most anticipated matches of the week on Wednesday and, pushed by an outstanding performance of captain Gabriela ‘Gabi’ Guimarães, the South Americans prevailed in Hong Kong, moving up to first place in the VNL standings.
VNL 2024
Phenomenal Gabi leads Brazil to comeback win over Poland
The only undefeated team in the Volleyball Nations League 2024, the South Americans are now at the top of the standings
Published 02:53, 12 Jun 2024
Gabi beats the Polish block to score one of her 24 points in the match
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Brazilians and Polish entered the court with eight wins in as many matches, but only the South Americans managed to keep their record clean, coming from behind to produce a 3-1 (22-25, 25-17, 25-17, 25-16) victory in their first match in Hong Kong.
Captain Gabi was outstanding for them, leaving the court with a match-high 24 points (23 kills, one block). The Tokyo Olympic bronze medalist got tremendous help from fellow outside hitter Julia Bergmann, who tallied 17 points (12 kills, four aces, one block) in her second start in the VNL 2024, and opposite Rosamaria Montibeller, who added another 15, with 13 kills and two aces.
“It was an amazing match and it feels great that we remain as the only undefeated team in the VNL,” Bergmann commented. “It’s a big responsibility, but everyone is playing for each other and it just feels good on the court. We still have some tough matches this week, but we’re ready to go.”
THIS HIT BY GABI 😳 & nice set Macris 🧚♀️.
— Volleyball World (@volleyballworld) June 12, 2024
📺 Live now on https://t.co/Rb6x7u4TwH.
🏐 #VNL2024 #VNL #volleyball pic.twitter.com/7ECIEiAouJ
The victory made Brazil pass Poland and take first place in the VNL 2024 with nine wins and 25 points – the Europeans have eight victories and 24 points. The result also kept the South Americans in second place in the FIVB World Rankings with 389.12 points as they could be passed by Poland (366.17) in case of a setback.
The Europeans had opposite Magdalena Stysiak as their main scorer with 18 points (14 kills, three blocks, one ace), followed by outside hitter Martyna Czyrniańska, who produced 12 (ten kills, one ace, one block).
“Everyone was waiting for this match as both teams were undefeated,” opposite Malwina Smarzek reacted. “I felt that we missed a little bit of what we did in the past two weeks. We could have served better as it was too easy for them to play the entire time with perfect passes. I’m sure we’ll have a second chance to beat them shortly and we’re looking forward to it. We’re still growing as a team and are getting used to these big matches, so we need to be patient in some situations.”
Volleyball Nations League 2024: schedule and results
Brazil will be back on the court on Thursday, at 17:00 local time (9:00 GMT), to face Germany, while Poland will have a day off before meeting the Dominican Republic on Friday at the same time.
World Ranking leaders Türkiye sweep Thailand
Defending champions and World Ranking leaders Türkiye also had a strong start to the third and final week of the VNL 2024 Preliminary Phase in Hong Kong, securing a 3-0 (25-17, 25-17, 25-17) victory over Thailand and extending their current winning streak in the tournament to six matches.
Outside hitter Hande Baladin was the match’s top scorer with 14 points (11 kills, two blocks, one ace), followed by teammate and fellow outside hitter Ebrar Karakurt, who produced 12 (ten kills, two blocks). Middle blocker Hattaya Bamrungsuk was Thailand’s most productive player with eight points (three kills, three blocks, two aces).
“This week is going to be really tough for us,” Turkish captain Eda Erdem reflected. “We’re trying to get better every day here. Today, Thailand played well, but our blocking and defense were very good. It’s good to have a win on the pocket already, but the next three matches will be very difficult. But I’m sure we’ll be ready for them.”
The Turkish continue on pace to qualify for the VNL Finals as they are currently in fifth place, with seven wins in nine matches (21 points). Thailand, who are guaranteed in the Finals as the host country, are 13th, with two wins and five points.
Starting on Thursday, the schedule in Hong Kong will feature three matches every day. Besides the duel between Brazilians and Germans, the third day of action will also have Bulgaria and Thailand meeting at 13:30 local time (5:30 GMT) and the Dominican Republic and Türkiye battling at 20:30 local time (12:30 GMT).
