The Ukrainian national volleyball team achieved its fourth victory in the Nations League by defeating Japan, one of the world's strongest teams (ranked 4th globally).
The match concluded with a score of 3:2.
In the first set, Ukraine had the chance to score a set point but failed, allowing Japan to take two points.
However, in the second set, the "blue and yellow" team made a strong comeback and surprisingly defeated Japan. The third set followed a similar pattern, with Ukraine leading.
In the next set, the Ukrainians again took the lead, but Japan managed to equalize. The tense battle ended with Japan's victory.
Ultimately, everything came down to a tiebreaker, where Ukraine managed to clinch the win. Notably, Ilya Kovalov shone in the first three sets, contributing significantly to the team's score, though he made a few mistakes at crucial moments.
Nations League 2025
Group stage, 7 matches
June 27
Ukraine – Japan 3:2 (24:26, 25:17, 25:18, 23:25, 15:13)
It’s worth noting that the Ukrainians had previously defeated the USA, triumphed over Cuba, and left no chance for Turkey, but unfortunately lost to Brazil, Iran, and France. This is Ukraine's debut in the Nations League.
The next match for the "blue and yellow" team will be on June 29 against Bulgaria. The full schedule of games can be found HERE.
As part of their preparation for LN-2025, the Ukrainian team participated in the Silesia Cup-2025 international tournament, where they beat Poland, lost to Germany, and triumphed over Bulgaria.
