Top European teams make debut in 2023 FIVB Volleyball Men's Nations League
16 teams, including eight European sides, took the court last week in the inaugural matches of the 2023 FIVB Volleyball Men’s Nations League, including reigning European champions Italy, who finished with a split record, with two wins and two losses in four matches.
The 16 sides were split into two pools, with Pool 1 taking place in Ottawa, Canada, while Pool 2 was scheduled in Nagoya, Japan, with the latter hosts delivering a flawless performance, being the only team with four wins in four matches, while the former, Canada, ended up with a three-game losing streak.
Only two European sides – the CEV EuroVolley 2021 silver medallists, Slovenia and the bronze medallists, Poland – ended up with three wins and one loss, with the Netherlands, Serbia, Italy and Bulgaria sharing the number of wins and losses, while France and Germany each lost three matches and won a single one.
Missing stars like Aleksander Śliwka, Bartosz Bednorz or Tomasz Fornal, Poland dropped a set in each of the first three matches, 3-1 against France, 3-2 against the Islamic Republic of Iran and 3-2 against Bulgaria, but had little chance in the last match of the week, against Serbia, a rematch of the bronze medal game from the CEV EuroVolley 2021.
Serbia totally dominated the match, taking the first set, 25-21, before getting sharper and sharper in the second and third sets, which Serbia clinched, 25-19 and 25-14, with superb efforts from Drazen Luburic (19 points) and Miran Kujundzic (15 points).
On the other hand, with only five players from the team which won the gold medal at the CEV EuroVolley 2021, and without the MVP, Simone Giannelli, Italy never stood a chance in the first two matches against Argentina and the United States of America, conceding two 0-3 losses.
Things got better and better as the time progressed in Ottawa, Canada, as Yuri Romano had excellent games against Cuba, with 16 points, and Germany, with 15 points, when the European champions bounced back and won the two games with the same scoreline, 3-1.
One of the biggest surprises involving European teams was Slovenia’s loss against Bulgaria in the second round of Pool 2, when Bulgaria duly delivered an excellent game, stemming from their grit in the first set, which they took, 26-24. Taking 25-23 and 25-17 wins in the other two sets, Bulgaria prevented Slovenia to clinch a four-match sweep, yet the silver medallists from the EuroVolley 2021 really looked in good form.
3-1 wins against Serbia and France, before a clear 3-0 win over Iran were the other Slovenia results this week, which puts the side in a good position for the next weeks of the 2023 FIVB Volleyball Men’s Nations League.
Only one team secured a clean sweep last week, Japan, with USA, Argentina, Slovenia, Brazil and Poland starting the competition with a 3-1 record after the first week.
The 16 teams will return between 20 and 25 June in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, and Orleans, France, with action-packed volleyball days.