Brazil beat Turkiye in four sets
In a thrilling opening match of the men`s Volleyball Nations League in Chiba, Japan, Brazil secured their position at the top of the Preliminary Phase standings by overcoming Turkiye in four sets. The game was marked by an intense scoring competition between Brazil`s Darlan Souza and Turkiye`s Efe Mandiraci. This victory solidified Brazil`s impressive 10-1 win-loss record, giving them 29 points and ensuring their first-place finish ahead of the final pool matches. Turkiye, with a 3-8 record and 9 points, currently stands 15th, safely outside both the Finals contention and the risk of relegation.
Brazilian opposite hitter Darlan Souza delivered a stellar performance, accumulating a match-high 28 points. His contribution to Brazil`s 3-1 (25-22, 26-24, 22-25, 25-22) triumph included five powerful aces, 22 successful spikes with an impressive 59% attack efficiency, and a crucial kill block. Souza also sealed the win by scoring the decisive point in the fourth set. For Turkiye, outside hitter Efe Mandiraci showcased his remarkable serving skills, tallying six aces and leading his team with a total of 24 points, alongside a 51% success rate in attack.
Brazil`s captain and seasoned outside hitter, Ricardo Lucarelli, also made a significant contribution with 13 points, which included an ace and a block. His 21-year-old teammate, Arthur Bento Buczmiejuk, rounded out the double-digit scorers for Brazil with 11 points. On the Turkish side, opposite Adis Lagumdzija was the only other player to reach double figures, securing two aces, two kill blocks, and six successful attacks.
“I am so happy to be back on the court. My last game was on May 5 I guess and since then I have been recovering from my shoulder problem. I am so happy that I could play today. We won, we guaranteed ourselves the first place, which was also important… I think this team from Turkiye is really good. They have a lot of individual qualities and they showed them today. For us it was good that everybody had an opportunity to play, me too… And winning is even better. We wanted to be first because we just wanted to be first. Yes, we are going to face China (in the quarterfinals) and it will be difficult to play with the audience cheering for them, so let’s prepare…”
— Ricardo Lucarelli, Brazil`s captain
Following this encounter in Chiba, the Volleyball Nations League action will continue with Germany taking on USA at 19:30 local time (10:30 UTC). Further matches are scheduled to take place in Gdansk and Ljubljana as part of Saturday’s VNL events.
Jasper Thornfield 
Oliver Wrenwick