Japan finished the second week of the Volleyball Nations League in Burgas on a strong note, securing a decisive straight-sets win against Slovenia on Sunday. This victory propelled last year`s silver medalists back up to third place in the current VNL standings with a 5-3 record and 15 points. In contrast, Slovenia`s losing streak extended to three matches without points, placing them below the Finals qualification line in 10th position with a 4-4 record and 11 points.
Slovenia managed to stay competitive primarily during the first set, recovering from a five-point deficit and saving multiple set points before ultimately falling in extra points. Riding the momentum from securing the opening set, Japan confidently controlled the subsequent two sets. The match concluded with Japan winning 3-0 (27-25, 25-15, 25-16), sealed by an attack from outside hitter Tatsunori Otsuka.
Opposite hitter Kento Miyaura was the key player for Japan, leading the scoring with a match-high 17 points, which included two aces and a block. Tatsunori Otsuka contributed 15 points with a 56% success rate in hitting. Team captain and cross-court teammate Shoma Tomita also had a strong performance, finishing with 13 points, including two aces and a 61% spiking efficiency.
Japan`s middle blocker Larry Ik Evbade-Dan shared his thoughts with VBTV, stating, “Our first match here was very tough because of the Bulgarian fans. After that, we had big support from the fans. It was great to play in such a kind environment. We are really grateful to have such big support from the stands. I hope everyone will keep supporting us, especially since we play in Japan in the next competition week.”
For Slovenia, 20-year-old opposite Nik Mujanovic was the only player to reach double-digit scoring, tallying 16 points (15 kills and one block).
Slovenia`s experienced setter Dejan Vincic commented on the team`s performance, saying, “From this whole tournament, we have to take away knowledge about what we did wrong, because most of the tournament we did things wrong. We have to learn from it, go back home and try to secure a position in the Finals in China.” He added optimistically, “Everything is still in our hands. We will play in front of our incredible crowd in Ljubljana. A lot of magic happens there, so it can happen again.”
Meanwhile, other VNL matches were also underway. The article mentioned the Iran vs Netherlands match taking place in Belgrade and the Turkiye vs France match scheduled later in Burgas. The final day of the second competition week featured a total of nine matches across three locations: Burgas, Belgrade, and Chicago.
Jasper Thornfield 
Oliver Wrenwick