China reverse sweep Germany to protect their position in the standings

With both teams entering the court already qualified for the Volleyball Nations League 2025 Finals, the match between China and Germany, held on Saturday, in Arlington, served as a direct battle for sixth place in the VNL standings.

China, which held the position ahead of the match, were able to keep it after they completed a fantastic reverse sweep and came out on top 3-2 (22-25, 24-26, 25-21, 25-17, 18-16), securing their third victory in as many matches in the American city this week.

With eight victories in 11 matches and 22 points collected, the Asians need to win at least two sets against the United States on Sunday to end the Preliminary Phase in sixth place without depending on other results. Having the same victories as fourth-placed Poland (24 points) and fifth-placed Türkiye (23), the Chinese can potentially pass their opponents if they beat the Americans.

For Germany, which qualified earlier on Saturday, when the Netherlands topped Czechia in Apeldoorn, and have six wins and 20 points, their current seventh place is the best they can get when the Preliminary Phase ends.

Outside hitter Zhuang Yushan, who had played a major role in the Chinese victory over Canada on Friday, stood out for a second-straight night, tallying a match-high 27 points, with 22 kills and five blocks. Team captain and opposite Gong Xiangyu, who registered 17 points (15 kills, two aces), and outside hitter Mengjie Wu, who added 13, all in kills, also contributed to the team’s impressive comeback.

“In the tie-breaker, I think that our defense and our side out made a difference for us,” Gong revealed. “We played as a team and fought together to get the win. We are having great support from our fans here this week and we’ll keep working hard until our last match.”

Opposite Emilia Weske was Germany’s most productive player in the match, leaving the court with 22 points (17 kills, four blocks, one ace) to her name. Team captain and middle blocker Camilla Weitzel produced 13 (seven kills, three blocks, three aces), one more than outside hitter Lina Alsmeier.

“I think that today we learned how to play against a team like this,” Weske reflected. “We need to be fearless, to play as a team together and never give up. We’re right there and there’s not much missing for us to beat a team of this level. Sunday is going to be a tough one, but we’re going for the win because we want to finish the week with a positive result.”

Continental rivals the United States and Canada will clash in the second match of the day in Arlington, which is set to start at 19:30 local time (00:30 GMT, Sunday).

The VNL 2025 will complete its schedule in Texas on Sunday with three matches – Germany and the Dominican Republic get the day started at 11:30 local time (16:30 GMT), Thailand and Canada follow at 15:00 (20:00 GMT) and the United States and China meet in the last match, which is set to begin at 19:00 (00:00 GMT, Monday).