Japan’s Yoshino Sato jump-serving against France
Japan, last year`s silver medalists, delivered a dominant performance against France in Wednesday`s concluding women`s Volleyball Nations League match in Chiba, delighting the home crowd with a straight-sets victory. Despite an early surge from their opponents, Japan quickly regained control. This win propels their record to 7-2 with 21 points, securing their position in fourth place in the current VNL standings. France, now at 3-6 with 10 points, currently sits in 12th place, still holding a reasonable chance to qualify for the Finals.
The match began with France surprising their hosts by establishing a 5-0 lead and maintaining scoreboard control through most of the first set. However, Japan showcased their resolve by turning the tide in the crucial “money time” to seize the lead. From that point forward, with minimal setbacks, they confidently swept the match with set scores of 25-23, 25-16, and 25-19.
Outside hitter Yoshino Sato was the undisputed top scorer of the match. Her impressive performance included three aces and 16 successful spikes, accumulating a total of 19 points. This tally was 10 points more than each of Japan`s next highest scorers, opposite Yukiko Wada and captain Mayu Ishikawa. For France, two players reached double digits, each contributing 11 points: 22-year-old middle blocker Fatoumata Fanguedou, who made four stuffs, one ace, and six successful swings, and opposite Iman Ndiaye, with two kill blocks and nine attack kills.
Speaking after the game, Yoshino Sato told VBTV, “This was our first game in Japan, and that`s why there was a little bit of anxiety and stress in the first set. But with great relationship and communication between the players, we established a good atmosphere and won the match.”
Wednesday`s VNL action continued in Apeldoorn, the Netherlands, where Czechia and Serbia had already commenced their opening match. Following that, at 17:00 local time (15:00 UTC), Italy was scheduled to compete against Belgium.
Jasper Thornfield 
Oliver Wrenwick