VNL: Top-ranked Poland makes quick work of Japan | ABS-CBN

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VNL: Top-ranked Poland makes quick work of Japan

VNL: Top-ranked Poland makes quick work of Japan

ABS-CBN News

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Japan and Poland in action in Week 3 of the 2023 Volleyball Nations League, July 9, 2023 at the Mall of Asia Arena. Handout photo.
Japan and Poland in action in Week 3 of the 2023 Volleyball Nations League, July 9, 2023 at the Mall of Asia Arena. Handout photo.

MANILA -- Poland lived up to its billing as the world's No. 1 team with a straight sets victory over Japan to close out the third week of the Volleyball Nations League, Sunday at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.

Poland came away with a 25-17, 25-19, 25-18 sweep of Japan, silencing the over 11,000 fans who were rooting for Ryujin Nippon. The world's No. 1 team needed just an hour and 13 minutes to complete the victory.

Poland wrapped up its campaign at 10-2, including a perfect 4-0 campaign in the Philippine leg, to tie Japan with a similar slate but with 27 set points.

The Poles, with 25 set points, settled for second spot and can slip to as low as third pending the final match of Team USA (9-2). The Americans can claim the No. 1 seed with a win against Bulgaria on Monday in Anaheim, California.

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Wilfredo Leon Venero tallied 16 points on 10 hits, three blocks and three aces to spearhead Poland’s avalanche on Japan, which surrendered a four-setter to Italy on Saturday for its first defeat in the 16-team VNL.

Lukasz Kaczmarek and Aleksander Sliwka added 12 and 11 points, respectively, for Poland serving as host of the 8-team VNL finale from July 19 to 24 in Gdansk City.

“It’s important for us to keep our focus on winning to be as high as possible on the table for the finals in Poland,” Sliwka said. “We’re excited to play the finals at home.”

Poland, which beat Slovenia, Brazil and Canada, launched an 11-2 finishing kick in the first set to transform a 14-5 deficit into a 25-17 win that pretty much took the fight out of Japan.

The Poles were not to be stopped from there on, pulling away at 19-12 for another dominant second-set showing before doubling on the Japanese at 16-8 in the third for the clincher.

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Tatsunori Otsuka with 11 points was the only twin-digit scorer for Japan as ace gunner Yuki Ishikawa settled for only seven points.

For the second straight match, another top spiker in Ran Takahashi, who needed a few stitches on his wounded hand last time out against the Netherlands, did not suit up for Japanese spikers.

Japan, which enjoyed massive support from the Filipino fans, went 2-2 in Manila, including a five-setter win against China.

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