European champions Türkiye and hosts China also triumphed in their debuts in Beijing
Published 02:23, 04 Jun 2025
With a match-high four blocks, captain Agnieszka Korneluk was one of the standouts in the Polish victory
The bronze medalists in the last two editions of the Volleyball Nations League, Poland started their campaign in this year’s tournament on the right foot, taking down Thailand in the first day of action of Pool 3 in Beijing, China.
Also winning their opening matches at the National Indoor Stadium on Wednesday were the 2023 champions Türkiye, who topped France, and hosts China, who swept Belgium.
Looking to secure a third-straight VNL medal in this year’s Finals, which are going to be held in their home court Łódź from July 23-27, the Polish were better in the key moments to overcome the Thais 3-0 (25-22, 26-24, 25-22) and add 2.69 FIVB World Ranking points to their total.
Despite not having star setter Joanna Wołosz, who announced her international retirement, the Polish continued to have a well-balanced offense in the first match of the season under the guidance of playmaker Katarzyna Wenerska, as three players in the team left the court with 15 points or more.
Outside hitter Martyna Czyrniańska was their leading scorer with 17 (14 kills, two aces, one block), while opposite Magdalena Stysiak and outside hitter Martyna Łukasic registered 15 each.
“The first match of the tournament is always very peculiar, and we are very happy that we won 3-0,” team captain and middle blocker Agnieszka Korneluk, who scored nine points (five kills, four blocks), said. “We expect China to be a more difficult opponent tomorrow, so we’ll rest and get ready for it.”
On the Thai side, the scoring efforts were concentrated on star opposite Pimpichaya Kokram, who produced a match-high 22 points, with 21 kills and one block. Set to host the FIVB World Championship in just over two months, the Asians want to make the most of the opportunity of playing the top teams in the world in the VNL as they prepare to display solid volleyball in front of their home fans.
“The VNL is very important for us as it helps us prepare for the World Championship,” the star opposite reflected. “It’s a great opportunity for us to play the best teams in the world. Poland are always tough opponents because they have a very good team and some really tall players, so we just tried to fight as much as we could.”
The opening match of the VNL 2025 had European champions Türkiye coming out on top in a continental duel against France. The Turkish managed to overcome an inconsistent performance in the second set to take the match 3-1 (25-17, 23-25, 25-13, 25-14) and start their campaign with a positive result.
Not having their main scorers Melissa Vargas, Ebrar Karakurt and Zehra Güneş this week in China, the team coached by Daniele Santarelli saw 23-year-old middle blocker Deniz Uyanık step up with a 16-point performance, produced with eight kills, an impressive seven blocks and one ace.
One of the new faces in the team in 2025, opposite Alexia Karutasu added another 15 (11 kills, three aces, one block), while outside hitter Yaprak Erkek registered 14 (13 kills, one ace) and middle blocker Aslı Kalaç tallied 13 (eight kills, three blocks, two aces).
Building a new team after making their Olympic debut last year in Paris, the French saw 23-year-old opposite Iman Ndiaye deliver a strong performance, leaving the court with 19 points (17 kills, two blocks).
The third and last match of the day in Beijing had the debut of hosts China, and the Asians didn’t disappoint, handling Belgium in straight sets and pleasing their home fans. Playing at a strong level from start to finish, the home team triumphed 3-0 (25-18, 27-25, 25-13) and secured their first victory under the guidance of new head coach Zhao Yong.
A member of the Chinese national team during last year’s Paris Olympics, outside hitter Wu Mengjie played a major role in their victory, leading the team against Belgium with 18 points (15 kills, two blocks, one ace). Fellow outside hitter Zhuang Yushan and opposite and team captain Gong Xiangyu also had solid displays, with 13 and 12 points, respectively. Another standout in the Chinese team was setter Zhang Zixuan, who made her debut with the country's national team at the age of 16.
On the Belgian side, team captain and star outside hitter Britt Herbots and middle blocker Silke Van Avermaet were the only ones to get to double digits in scoring, producing ten points each.
VNL 2025 – Match Schedule & Results
Thursday’s match schedule in Beijing will feature only two matches, with Belgium and Thailand facing off and trying to get their first wins at 15:00 local time (7:00 GMT) and the undefeated Poland and China clashing later, at 19:30 (11:30 GMT).
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