The quarterfinals of the 2025 Men's Volleyball Nations League Final Round were held over two days on July 30th and 31st, and this year's top four teams were decided.
① Italy (qualifier 2nd place) vs Cuba (qualifier 7th place)
3-1 (25-18, 25-19, 20-25, 25-21)
In the first and second sets, Italy scored points through attacks and serves from OH Micheletto and OP Lihilicki, while Cuba was unable to increase the effectiveness of their attacks due to their own mistakes and being blocked, and Italy won both sets.
In the third set, Cuba scored points mainly through OH Yanto and OH Melgarejo to take the set back, but in the fourth set, they made a series of mistakes towards the end and allowed Italy to take the lead, and in the end OH Micheletto finished off the attack and Italy won 3-1.
Match stats▼
https://vnlm.volleystation.com/en/matches/2227709/
Italy has advanced to the semi-finals for the first time in two tournaments, and is aiming to win its first medal in the VNL.
②Brazil (1st place in the qualifiers) vs China (17th place in the qualifiers (host country))
3-1 (29-31, 25-19, 25-16, 25-21)
After a close first set, China won with a string of points led by OP Wen, thrilling the local fans.
However, from there, Brazil continued to score points, mainly through OP Alan, while China made repeated attacking mistakes due to poor serve reception, allowing Brazil to take the lead. As a result, Brazil managed to win three sets in a row and win 3-1.
Match stats▼
https://vnlm.volleystation.com/en/matches/2227707/
Brazil has advanced to the semi-finals for the first time in four tournaments since 2021, and is also aiming to win the tournament for the first time in four tournaments.
③ France (qualifier 3rd place) vs Slovenia (qualifier 6th place)
1-3 (22-25, 25-15, 19-25, 18-25)
Slovenia took the lead in the first set, scoring mainly through OP Stern's decisive spikes, but in the second set, France showed an astonishingly perfect game play, with an OP fall success rate of 1,001 TP3T and an attack effectiveness rate of 841 TP3T (with no losses) as a team, to take back the set.
However, from the third set onwards, Slovenia regained momentum with OP Stern's spikes, outside pipe attacks and MB Kozamelnik's blocks, while France's attacks and missed attacks increased dramatically and they were unable to score. As a result, Slovenia won the third and fourth sets in a row to defeat France 3-1.
Match stats▼
https://vnlm.volleystation.com/en/matches/2227710/
Slovenia has reached the semi-finals for the second consecutive tournament and, like Italy, is also aiming to win its first medal in the VNL.
④Japan (qualifier 4th place) vs Poland (qualifier 5th place)
0-3 (23-25, 24-26, 12-25)
In the first set, Japan took a 16-12 lead thanks to spikes and aces from OP Miyaura and consecutive aces from S Nagatsuyu. However, Poland's consecutive blocks allowed them to tie the score at 17-17, and then an ace from OP Sasaku put Japan at 20-21. In the end, relief server OH Tomita's serve was a miss, giving Poland the lead at 23-25.
In the early stages of the second set, Poland took a 3-7 lead thanks to spikes from OP Sasak. Japan then closed the gap with spikes from OH Ishikawa and substitute MB Nishimoto, successfully taking the lead to 17-16. However, a serve from S Komenda put Poland back on the board at 21-23. Japan managed to bring the score to deuce with a block from MB Sato, but OP Sasak scored consecutive points with a spike and block, giving Poland a 24-26 lead.
In the third set, Poland took a 5-8 lead with four blocks early on. Japan brought in S. Oya and MB Rally, but further mistakes from Japan put Poland ahead at 7-13. While Japan continued to struggle to score attacks, Poland continued to score with blocks and counter attacks, widening the gap to 10-21. Japan made substitutions one after another, but it was too late. OH Semeniuk finally closed the gap at 12-25 with a spike, giving Poland a 3-0 victory.
Match stats▼
https://vnlm.volleystation.com/en/matches/2227708/
Poland has advanced to the semifinals for the sixth consecutive tournament, and is aiming for their sixth consecutive medal and, hopefully, their first victory in two tournaments.
Upcoming match schedule
*Japan time notation
Saturday, August 2nd
Semi-final 1: 16:00
Italy - Slovenia
Semi-final 2: 8:00 PM
Brazil - Poland
August 3 (Sun)
3rd place match: 16:00
Losers of the semi-finals
Finals: 8:00 PM
Winners of the semi-finals
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Related links
Photo: FIVB
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