VNL 2024: Slovenia triumph in marathon against The Netherlands. Poland, Italy and Serbia ok

Slovenia emerged victorious after a thrilling two hours and 47 minutes of play in their Volleyball Nations League 2024 opener against the Netherlands in Antalya.
Despite an amazing 31-point performance by Dutch star Nimir Abdel-Aziz, Slovenia won at tie break (31:33, 25:22, 20:25, 25:21, 27:25).
Slovenia’s Toncek Stern and Klemen Cebulj each scored 21 points, contributing to their team’s hard-fought win.
The intense clash saw both teams exchanging leads and canceling each other’s match points, with Slovenia ultimately securing victory with a Stern’s precision ace, 27-25 in fifth set!
In another Pool 1 match, defending champions Poland defeated the United States in just three sets (25:22, 25:15, 26:24), bolstering their title defense with a perfect start. Poland’s captain Aleksander Sliwka led the charge with 13 points, while Gabriel Garcia and Jordan Ewert scored 11 and 10 points respectively on the losing side.
In Pool 2, World champions Italy demonstrated their title in their opener sweeping Germany 3-0 in Rio de Janeiro. Playing at the iconic Maracanãzinho stadium, the winners showcased their top players, securing a decisive victory with scores of 25:21, 25:18, and 25:23.
Italy’s attack was led by outside hitter Alessandro Michieletto, who scored 14 points, including a couple of decisive points to seal the match, while opposite Yuri Romanò and middle blocker Roberto Russo added 13 and 11 points, respectively. Germany’s top performer, Christian Fromm, left the court 13 points, but it wasn’t enough to secure at least one set.
In another match, Serbia defeated Iran 3-1 (25:27, 25:17, 19:25, 18:25) led by Meisam Salehi, the match’s top scorer with 20 points. Uros Kovacevic was the most prolific player for Serbia with 14 points.

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🏐| FIVB VOLLEYBALL NATIONS LEAGUE 2024 | Wednesday | May 22, 2024

👉🏼 Pool 1 – Week 1 – Antalya 🇹🇷
• 17.00 (Local Time) | The Netherlands – Slovenia 2-3 (33:31, 22:25, 25:20, 21:25, 25:27)
• 20.00 (Local Time) | USA – Poland 0-3 (22:25, 15:25, 24:26)

👉🏼 Pool 2 – Week 1 – Rio De Janeiro 🇧🇷
• 17.30 (Local Time) | Germany – Italy 0-3 (21:25, 18:25, 23:25)
• 21.00 (Local Time) | Iran – Serbia 1-3 (25:27, 25:17, 19:25, 18:25)
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🏐| STANDINGS (updated on this day)
1. France 3
2. Poland 3
3. Italy 3
4. Serbia 3
5. Japan 3
6. Cuba 3
7. Canada 3
8. Slovenia 2
9. The Netherlands 1
10. Türkiye 0
11. Argentina 0
12. Brazil 0
13. Iran 0
14. Bulgaria 0
15. Germany 0
16. USA 0

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🏐| NEXT GAMES | Thursday | May 23, 2024

| Pool 1 – Week 1 – Antalya 🇹🇷
• 14.00 (Local Time) | Slovenia – France
• 17.00 (Local Time) | Canada – Poland
• 20.00 (Local Time) | Türkiye – The Netherlands

| Pool 2 – Week 1 – Rio De Janeiro 🇧🇷
• 14.00 (Local Time) | Cuba – Germany
• 17.30 (Local Time) | Japan – Serbia
• 21.00 (Local Time) | Argentina – Brazil

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👀|QUICK LINKS
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