In a thrilling opener at the FIVB Men’s Volleyball Nations League in Xi’an, the sixth-ranked Japan team defeated hosts China in straight sets on Wednesday, with scores of 25-23, 25-14, and 25-22. Despite a promising start, the Chinese team couldn’t capitalize on key moments, leaving coach Vital Heynen reflecting on missed opportunities.
“If you look at the details of the first set, we played very well. If you look at the statistics, we are better than Japan, but we didn’t use our chances,” Heynen said after the match. “We made a couple of unnecessary mistakes, and that’s a pity. We were not playing smart enough, and we didn’t play together as a team.”
The Chinese mainland team struggled with self-inflicted errors in the second set, falling behind significantly. Though they showed resilience at the beginning of the third set, they couldn’t maintain the momentum to turn the game around.
“I was hoping we would play like we do in training—perfectly as a team, knowing each other well, and knowing what to do. But today I saw a lot of mistakes. I guess it’s the pressure. It makes you start to doubt things we’re doing in training, and we have to find our way back,” Heynen added.
Looking ahead, China will face Serbia on Thursday. Serbia comes into the match with confidence after defeating Türkiye 3-1 (12-25, 25-22, 25-23, 25-23) in their opening game.
In another match, top-ranked Poland overcame a spirited challenge from the Netherlands to win 3-1. The returning bronze medalists were tested throughout the game, with sets tightly contested at 22-22 before Poland pulled ahead.
“We were leading in almost every set, but at times we lost our focus and allowed them back into the game,” said Polish outside hitter Artur Szalpuk, who scored a match-high 19 points. “It was a tough game for us because many players had their first match in the VNL. It was a hard fight, but we played well and took three points. Now, we need to rest because tomorrow we have another important game.”
