Slovenia and Japan Start VNL Quarterfinals with Wins
Slovenia defeated Turkey 3-0 in a quarterfinal thriller, while Japan beat hosts China 3-1. Slovenia needed 11 set points in the second set and saved 11 opponent set points in the third to prevail.
The Men's Volleyball Nations League knockout stage kicked off in Ningbo, China, with two quarterfinal matches. Slovenia edged Turkey 3-0 (25:21, 35:33, 39:37), while Japan overcame China 3-1 (23:25, 25:23, 25:19, 25:23).
Slovenia reached the top eight for the fifth time, while Turkey debuted at this stage. Slovenia has played in three semifinals between 2021 and 2025. Their last meeting with Turkey was on July 18 in Belgrade, a 3-1 win for Slovenia.
In the first set, Slovenia trailed 8-10 before rallying to 14-11, later tied at 20-20, and won five of the last six rallies. The second set saw Slovenia win 35-33 on their 11th set point. In the third set, Slovenia squandered a 19-14 lead but saved 11 opponent set points to win 39-37.
Slovenia had fewer blocks (11-14) and aces (2-3) but committed ten fewer errors (18-28). Rok Možič led with 25 points, followed by Nik Mujanovič with 20. For Turkey, Adis Lagumdžija scored 21 points.
Japan, undefeated in the preliminary round, lost the first set to China but won the next three. The remaining quarterfinals are scheduled for July 30: Italy vs. USA and Poland vs. Ukraine.
