USA staves off Türkiye to finish 4-0 in first round of Volleyball Nations League
The USA women won the first two sets Sunday, lost the next two, and then overpowered host Türkiye in the fifth to finish the first round of the Volleyball Nations League 4-0.
It left the Americans tied with Poland and China as the women take a week break and the men’s VNL begins.
The USA opened the tournament in Antalya, Türkiye with five-set victories over Serbia and Italy and swept Korea before beating the home team 25-22, 25-22, 22-25, 11-25, 15-9.
Obviously the USA turned things around in the fifth set.
“We’ve been saying this week be where your feet are, so don’t think about the last point, don’t think about the next one, and honestly, after the fourth we were in the mud,” veteran opposite Annie Drews said to VolleyballMag.com’s Emily Ehman in the post-match Volleyball World TV interview.
“We could not have been more in a hole, but we were gonna find a way out of it, one at a time.”
Drews, the Olympic gold medalist who played at Purdue, not only talked the talk but walked the walk. She led the USA with 17 kills and had seven digs and two aces.
Drews had well-deserved praise for her young teammates.
Avery Skinner, a first-time VNL player who won an NCAA title at Kentucky and played Baylor, added 16 kills and nine digs and the other first-time VNL outside, Khalia Lanier, had 11 kills, six digs and a block. Former Wisconsin middle Dana Rettkie had eight kills and a block and current Texas middle Asjia O’Neal had four kills — hitting .500 — and an ace. Micha Hancock, back at setter, had a team-high 13 digs, three kills and an ace. Libero Justine Wong-Orantes had 12 digs.
Türkiye’s one-two punch of Melissa Vargas and Ebrar Karakurt was nearly unstoppable all match. Vargas, the Cuban who became eligible for Türkiye this year, only played the last four sets and had 21 kills, a block, three aces and six digs. Karakurt had 20 kills, two blocks, six digs and four aces. Ilkin Ayden had eight kills, 12 digs, two blocks and an ace. Gizem Orge had 18 didgs.
“(Türkiye) is such a physical team and they’re very balanced,” Drews said. “They have a wonderful setter (Cansu Özbay) who stretched their offense and I think we talked about being simple and staying loose.”
The match was played before a sold-out, enthusiastic crowd, something USA coach Karch Kiraly noted in his post-second set live interview.
“This is really special to play in,” said Drews, whose pro resume includes a stop in Türkiye. “To see the way Turkish fans value volleyball is really incredible.”
The USA and the 14 players in Antalya now head home to Anaheim where the roster includes 16 other players. The 14 who go to Brasilia, Brazil, when the Americans resume play June 13 will likely be quite different. Drews, Hancock and Wong-Orantes were the only Olympians on this leg and many more are waiting their turn.
In Brasilia, the USA plays Croatia (0-4), Thailand (2-2), Japan (3-1) and Brazil (3-1).
Also Sunday:
BRAZIL 3, CROATIA 0: Brazil got past the first set and then crushed Croatia 26-24, 25-18, 25-8 as Ana Cristina had 17 kills, three blocks and two aces.
Diana Duarte and Ana Da Silva had six kills, two blocks and an ace each. Julia Bergmann had five kills, an block, an ace and 10 digs. Brazil finished the first round 3-1, while Croatia was 0-4, tied with the Netherlands, Serbia and Korea for last place.
GERMANY 3, BULGARIA 2: Germany battled to a 18-25, 25-20, 23-25, 26-24, 15-10 victory that left it 3-1, while Bulgaria dropped to 1-3.
Lena Stigrot led the Germans with 15 kills, a block and an ace. Lina Alsmeier had 11 kills, 15 digs, three blocks and two aces; Camila Weitzel had nine kills, three blocks and two aces; Hanna Orthmann had 13 kills and nine digs, and Maria Schölzel had eight kills and four blocks. Anna Pogany had 15 digs.
Maria Yordanova was spectacular with 25 kills, 13 digs and three aces. Elena Becheva had 16 kills and Marina Radostina had 13 kills, a block and an ace. Mila Pashkuleva had 25 digs.
CHINA 3, JAPAN 0: Li Yingying had 19 kills — hitting .580 — nine digs and a block as China won the battle of 3-0 teams 25-18, 27-25, 27-25. Yuanyuan Wang had 10 kills and a block and Xinyue Yuan had seven kills, a block and two aces. Japan’s Sarina Nishida had 16 kills, 10 digs, a block and two aces, Kotona Hayashi had 13 kills and Yukiko Wada had nine kills.
THAILAND 3, KOREA 0: Thailand (2-2) won 25-17, 28-26, 25-21 as Chatchu-On Moksri had 16 kills, two blocks, 11 digs and two aces, and Pimpichaya Kokram had 12 kills, 10 digs and a block. Thatdao Nuekjang had four kills and seven blocks. Korea (0-4) got 11 kills and three blocks from Jeongah Park and nine kills from Jiyn Moon.
CANADA 3, SERBIA 2: Alexa Gray had 20 kills and the former BYU great added a block, 11 digs and two aces in Canada’s 18-25, 28-26, 25-23, 18-25, 15-12 victory. Hilary Howe had 18 kills, six blocks and 12 digs, and former Hawai’i standout Emily Maglio had six kills, three blocks and an ace. Setter Brie King had four kills, a block, an ace and 11 digs.
Canada moved into ninth place by improving to 2-2. Canada lost to Poland in five, got swept by Thailand, but then swept Korea before beating Serbia.
Serbia (0-4) got 16 kills, a block and an ace from Aleksandra Uzelac. Ana Bjelica had 13 kills, 10 digs, two blocks and three aces and Sara Lozo had 16 kills. Teodora Pusic had 14 digs.
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