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Latest news from the world of volleyball
France won the VNL! "Les Bleus" defeated the "Samurai" in an incredible duel with 3:1 and lifted the VNL cup
The exceptionally high class on the court from both teams made the spectacle in Lodz complete. The 2024 Volleyball Nations League final, played in the Polish city of Lodz, was an apotheosis of beautiful and high-class volleyball - a true gift from France and Japan to volleyball fans worldwide. The first set saw several lead changes, with Japan initially taking the lead, followed by France battling back. The more focused play from "Les Bleus" allowed them to close out and win the set 25:23. In the second set, the volleyball players from the "Land of the Rising Sun" demonstrated tighter play and dominated throughout, establishing an early lead that they easily maintained until the end to level the sets at 1:1 after a 25:18 win.
Sweden without its star player Isabelle Haak at the Challenger Cup for entry into the Nations League
Sweden will be without superstar Isabelle Haak in the upcoming Challenger Cup. The player is not included in the blue and yellow squad. "I need to rest because I'm very tired after my long season," Haak told SVT Sport. Sweden reached the Challenger Cup by winning the Golden League. Isabelle Haak has been the big name for the team for a long time but was given a rest during some of the matches after having a tough spring season.
Poland won its fifth award in theVNL, after a convincing victory over Slovenia
More than 11 thousand people witnessed Poland's fifth distinction in the Volleyball Nations League tournament. Slovenia tried to resist only in the first set, for the rest of the time the match was dictated by "drużyna polska". Total advantage for the hosts in blocking - 15 against 4.Bartosz Kurek started as a starter, after a weak quarterfinal against Brazil and non-participation in the semifinal against France. In the middle of the set, a block by the Slovenians, an error by Kurek and an ace by Tine Urnaut allowed Gheorghe Crețu's boys to pull ahead. Kurek redeemed himself with an ace and closed the gap to one point.
Lube Group reaches out to football in Treia. Is volleyball in Civitanova in danger?
FC Treia will receive funding from Lube Civitanova's general sponsor. Civitanova - Lube enters the football world. It will do so with a project aimed at stabilizing Treia and uniting local football figures in the city where Lube Group, a kitchen equipment and furniture company, is headquartered. The news comes from the authoritative volleyball websitevolleyball.it. The company's senior management stated that Lube will not be a sponsor, but an active part of the project.
Japan will also "rise" in the final - a great 3-0 victory over Slovenia, a clash with France for the title
Another phenomenal match for the Japanese volleyball players – this time, Slovenia was the victim. Japan is the second finalist in this season's Volleyball Nations League, after deservedly defeating the team led by Gheorghe Crețu with a 3:0 game score (25:21, 27:25, 31:29). Philip Blain's proteges controlled the game on the court for almost the entire match, thus not leaving Slovenia many chances to win more than a single set. The first set was won quite comfortably by the Japanese with 25:21, as their play in all elements was excellent. At the beginning of the second set, their dominance continued, but Slovenia recovered, temporarily turning the score in their favor.
France embittered Poland's hosting and goes to the final after a five-set drama
Poland dramatically lost the semi-final against France with a score of 2:3 (25-22, 22-25, 23-25, 25-20, 16-18). Thus, Andrea Giani's boys await the winner of the Slovenia-Japan pair in the final.The two teams split the first two sets completely mirroring each other. In the second set, Poland led almost until the end, but crumbled on reception when Ngapeth stepped up to the service line. In the third set, the teams fiercely competed, with the score going point for point until the middle of the set. Gradually, France gained the upper hand, pulling ahead by two or three points.
Retrospection: Trento's foreign diagonals, Vlado Nikolov in the hearts of the "tifosi"
Bulgaria has the most representatives in this extremely prestigious and high-class company. During the first twenty-four years of its history, the current European club champion, Trentino Volley, often resorted to the foreign market to find its opposites, and this tradition will continue in the new season thanks to the Puerto Rican Gabi Garcia, who officially arrived today. Fifteen foreign opposite players have already worn the "yellow-blue" jersey. Below, in chronological order, are all the players who have remained in the history of Trentino Volley. Matey Kaziyski is missing from the list, who, although he played in this role during the 2022/23 season, has always been an outside hitter.
Blendzhini gathers the younger ones from the nation for a week starting tomorrow, then a camp in Pazardzhik.
Gianlorenzo Blengini will gather the younger players from the men's national team for a camp in Sofia starting tomorrow. For one week, the coach wants to get a deeper understanding of their capabilities, after which he will gather a more extended squad for a training camp in Pazardzhik on July 9. Participation in a friendly tournament in Finland at the end of July is planned. It remains unclear when Simeon Nikolov will join Miroslav Zhivkov's team, which is preparing in Plovdiv for the Balkan and European Championships.
Slovenia made a comeback against Argentina and qualified for the semi-finals against Japan
The Slovenian team made a comeback and defeated Argentina with 3:2 (19-25,25-17,17-25,29-27,15-07) in the last quarter-final of this year's edition of the Volleyball Nations League, played in Łódź (Poland). The match offered a lot of emotions, as the Slovenians were on the verge of losing the fourth set and the match, even though they were leading until its very end. In the end, the bronze medalists from the European Championship proved to be more concentrated and managed to close the set with 29-27. In the tie-break, the Slovenians, who qualified for the Olympics for the first time in their history, came out extremely motivated and won by a significant margin. The most effective player in the match was the opposite hitter Tonček Štern, who scored 31 points (including 3 blocks and 1 ace), Klemen Čebul added 16 points (2 blocks), and captain Tine Urnaut contributed 12 points (1 ace).
Clash of champions in Lodz: France defeated Italy's "reserves" and will meet Poland in the semi-finals
France is the third semi-finalist in this year's edition of the Volleyball Nations League. The reigning Olympic champion defeated Italy 3-2 in sets in the Polish city of Łódź. As it became clear, the "Squadra Azzurra," which is the current world champion, arrived in Poland with its younger and less experienced players. However, the young Italians showed that they deservedly received the great opportunity given by Ferdinando De Giorgi to play in some of the most important matches of the year. It is not excluded that some of them might even make it into the Olympic squad for Paris.