Poland edge China, Belgium dominate Thailand in VNL

China suffered its first loss at the Volleyball Nations League (VNL) Beijing leg on Thursday, falling to Poland 3-1 (25-22, 20-25, 25-19, 25-21) in a tightly contested match at the National Indoor Stadium.

Poland opposite Magdalena Stysiak and outside hitter Martyna Czyrnianska each scored 20 points to fire their team to victory. Captain and middle blocker Agnieszka Korneluk added 17, while fellow middle blocker Aleksandra Gryka had 12.

Magdalena Stysiak (L) of Poland spikes the ball during the Pool 3 match between China and Poland at the Women's Volleyball Nations League (VNL) 2025 at the National Indoor Stadium in Beijing, China, June 5, 2025. (Xinhua/Ju Huanzong)

After dropping a closely fought opening set, China responded with a spirited performance in the second, making lineup adjustments and gaining momentum through effective blocking and fast-paced attacks. Outside hitters Tang Xin and Wu Mengjie played key roles as the team leveled the scores at one set apiece.

Zhuang Yushan scored a team-high 17 points, Wu earned 13 points, while Tang contributed 12 points overall, including seven in the second set alone.

"At the beginning, I felt I performed even better than I did in training," said Tang, 21. "But later on, I got a bit too excited and started to lose focus. Poland adjusted quickly, especially in the third set - their blockers began targeting me more directly, and I had trouble adapting."

The third set saw both teams battling point-for-point early on, but Poland pulled ahead midway with solid defense and consistent execution, eventually taking it 25-19. In the fourth, China made a strong start, racing into a 3-0 lead, but Poland quickly turned the tide with a 14-10 advantage and maintained a narrow lead down the stretch. Despite China's late push to save a match point, Poland closed out the set 25-21 to seal their second straight win in Beijing.

"We're very happy with this win. Coming into the match, we knew it would be difficult, even though we only had a few recent matches to study this 'new' Chinese team. Still, we could tell that their players have incredible quality. The younger players may lack experience, but they've already shown great technique, talent, and character," said Poland head coach Stefano Lavarini.

Lavarini noted that the second set slipped away due to a drop in serving quality and missed opportunities in attack, especially against single blocks. However, he added that in the third set, his team regained its rhythm by stabilizing service and playing with more consistency.

"We tried to get back to the level we had in the first set. In the fourth set, China changed many players, so we made some tactical adjustments as well - especially in how we adapted to their different middle blockers and attackers," the 46-year-old Italian explained.

With the result, Poland improve to 2-0 in the current leg, while China drops to 1-1. Both teams will have a rest day on Friday before returning to action over the weekend.

Earlier in the day, Belgium earned its first win of the Beijing leg with a 3-1 victory over Thailand (25-22, 25-23, 24-26, 25-22).

Belgium captain Britt Herbots led the scorers with 31 points, while opposite Pauline Martin added 19. Middle blocker Nathalie Lemmens contributed 14 points, including five blocks, as Belgium's offensive trio proved decisive.

"It was a very tough and long match from every perspective," said Herbots. "Thailand has a unique style of play. There were a lot of fast combinations and long rallies - very tiring on defense. But I'm really happy we got the win. Everyone fulfilled their role, and that's really important for a team."

Belgium will next play against France on Friday, while Thailand will face Türkiye.