Japan has successfully secured its place in the Volleyball Nations League (VNL) 2025 Final Four. Representing Asia, they achieved this by defeating European champions Türkiye in a fiercely contested quarterfinal match held on Thursday in Łódź, Poland.
The much-anticipated encounter, which kicked off the second day of the VNL Finals at Atlas Arena, saw Japan and Türkiye battle through an exhilarating five-set thriller. Despite Türkiye being guided by their head coach Ferhat Akbaş, Japan demonstrated remarkable resilience, clinching the decisive fifth set with a dominant start. The final score stood at 3-2 (25-21, 16-21, 25-20, 22-25, 15-9). This pivotal win propels Japan further into the tournament, setting them on a path to compete for a medal for the second consecutive season, following their silver medal achievement in 2024.
As the VNL 2024 silver medalists, Japan now awaits their semifinal adversary. Their next opponent will be determined by the outcome of the fourth and final quarterfinal clash between Brazil and Germany, scheduled for Thursday. The semifinal matches are set to take place on Saturday.
Captain Mayu Ishikawa was a pivotal force for the Japanese squad, leading the Asian team with an impressive 19 points, comprising 17 kills and two aces. She notably scored the match-winning point directly from the service line. Fellow teammates, opposite Yukiko Wada and outside hitter Yoshino Sato, also delivered strong performances, each contributing 15 points to Japan’s significant victory.
“We are incredibly happy to have won such an important match,” stated setter Nanami Seki. “We knew it would be a challenging game, so our primary focus was on our own play and bringing our absolute best to the court. Reaching the semifinals is a fantastic accomplishment, but we now have a real chance to win a medal, and we are determined to fight for it.”
For Türkiye, star opposite Melissa Vargas emerged as the match`s top scorer, delivering 23 points (19 kills, four blocks). Outside hitter Yaprak Erkek also made a substantial contribution with 17 points (14 kills, two aces, one block). Middle blockers Zehra Güneş and Aslı Kalaç each registered 11 points for the “Sultans of the Net.”
“I believe we played well, but Japan is a very strong team, and they performed exceptionally today,” commented Türkiye`s setter Cansy Özbay. “We struggled to anticipate their offensive plays, and at certain moments, we couldn`t predict where their attacks would come from. We fought hard, but this particular performance doesn`t represent our best game, and we don`t accept playing at this level. We faced some injuries during the VNL, which prevented us from having our full team together, but I am hopeful we can perform better at the upcoming World Championship.”
Statistically, Japan demonstrated superior offensive efficiency, outscoring Türkiye in kills (61 to 57) and exhibiting greater aggression from the service line, landing five aces compared to Türkiye’s two. While the Turkish team had more blocks (13 to six), they also conceded more points through errors (31 to 28).
This achievement marks Japan’s third appearance in the VNL semifinals across their seven participations in the tournament. They previously secured a fourth-place finish in 2021 and proudly claimed the silver medal just last year.
In the other semifinal match, defending champions Italy are set to face hosts Poland. Italy advanced to this stage by decisively sweeping the United States in their quarterfinal on Wednesday, while Poland secured their spot by eliminating China in another thrilling five-set battle on the same day.
Jasper Thornfield 
Oliver Wrenwick