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Article wrote by Ivan from Chicago for Volleytimes, please respect his job.
Third and last week of the Preliminary Phase of 2026 Volleyball Nations League continued today in three cities, Osaka (Japan), Belgrade (Serbia) and here in Chicago (USA), with a total of 36 matches, which will determine the standings but also the other seven teams who will play the quarterfinals in Ningbo with hosts China.
Last week in USA continues with another two straight sets wins, in which France and the hosts emerged victorious.
The United States followed Japanβs lead and Finals, only a few hours after the Asians became the first national team to qualify outside hosts China, in one of the most thrilling duels in international volleyball, beating longtime rivals Brazil 3-0 (25:23, 25:19, 25:19) to earn their second victory in the week.
With their eighth victory in ten Preliminary Phase matches, the Americans got to 25 points in the standings and continue in second place, now guaranteed in the Finals. Brazil, which had gotten into the qualification zone after sweeping France on Wednesday, fell outside of it again, ranking eighth with six wins and 16 points!
Outside hitter TJ Defalco was the protagonist of American victory, making an amazing impact from the service line with as many as seven aces, the fifth-highest mark in VNL history and the best for a straight sets match! He also added four blocks to top all scorers with 18 points.
βThese two teams have had many battles since the 60s,β he said. βWe came in with the idea that we needed to stop them as much as we could, and we did an incredible job. It was one of the better serving nights in my career, and hopefully we can take that momentum forward.β
Matt Anderson and opposite Jake Hanes added 13 points each, while Brazilβs opposite Darlan Souza was the most
prolific player on the other side of the net with 17 points including four aces and one block. Middle blockers FlΓ‘vio Gualberto and Matheus Pinta scored seven points each.
βI think we did well at handling Franceβs pressure in serve-receive yesterday, but today we couldnβt do the same,β captain Ricardo Lucarelli said after the match.
βThey served amazingly well today, and we didnβt have the patience to play and earn the points. We should have tried to keep the ball and avoid hitting errors. Against a team like the United States, you have to be patient, and we werenβt on some moments.β
Earlier, France swept Finals hosts and last-placed China by 0-3 (21:25, 19:25, 20:25). Stephen Boyer finished with 16 points and Mathis Henno added 15 as the reigning Olympic champions improved to 5-5.
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π| FIVB Volleyball Nations League 2026 | Games of the day
β Thursday | July 16, 2026β
| Pool 9 β Week 3 β Osaka π―π΅
β’ 15.30 (Local Time) | Belgium β Italy 0-3 (20:25, 22:25, 22:25)
β’ 19.20 (Local Time) | Japan β Canada 3-2 (18:25, 24:26, 29:27, 25:19, 15:11)
| Pool 7 β Week 3 β Belgrade π·πΈ
β’ 16.30 (Local Time) | Iran β Germany 3-2 (25:22, 26:28, 18:25, 25:20, 15:12)
β’ 20.00 (Local Time) | Serbia β Ukraine 3-1 (22:25, 25:17, 25:21, 25:23)
ππΌ Pool 8 β Week 3 β Chicago πΊπΈ
β’ 16.00 (Local Time) | China β France 0-3 (21:25, 19:25, 20:25)
β’ 20.00 (Local Time) | USA β Brazil 3-0 (25:23, 25:19, 25:18)
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π| STANDINGS (updated on this day)
1. Japan 24
2. USA 25
3. Poland 20
4. Italy 20
5. Ukraine 19
6. Slovenia 17
7. TΓΌrkiye 17
8. Brazil 16
9. Serbia 15
10. Bulgaria 14
11. France 13
12. Germany 13
13. Iran 11
14. Canada 10
15. Argentina 9
16. Belgium 9
17. Cuba 5
18. China 4
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π| NEXT GAMES
β Friday | July 17, 2026β
| Pool 9 β Week 3 β Osaka π―π΅
β’ 13.00 (Local Time) | Cuba β Argentina
β’ 19.20 (Local Time) | Japan β Belgium
| Pool 7 β Week 3 β Belgrade π·πΈ
β’ 16.30 (Local Time) | TΓΌrkiye β Ukraine
β’ 20.00 (Local Time) | Iran β Slovenia
| Pool 8 β Week 3 β Chicago πΊπΈ
β’ 16.00 (Local Time) | China β Bulgaria
β’ 20.00 (Local Time) | Brazil β Poland
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