Japan outlast Türkiye to reach Women's VNL semifinals

Japan secured a place in the semifinals of the FIVB Women's Volleyball Nations League (VNL) after edging past Türkiye 3-2 (25-21, 16-25, 25-20, 22-25, 15-9) in a thrilling quarterfinal on Thursday in Lodz, Poland.

Japan captain Mayu Ishikawa led her team with 19 points, including 17 kills and two aces. Opposite Yukiko Wada and outside hitter Yoshino Sato each added 15 points. For Türkiye, opposite Melissa Vargas posted a match-high 22 points, while outside hitter Yaprak Erkek contributed 17.

Japan, the 2024 VNL silver medalist, took the opening set 25-21. The Turkish side responded with a dominant second set, powered by Erkek's nine points, to level the match with a 25-16 win.

Guided by Turkish head coach Ferhat Akbas, Japan regained control in the third set. Sato's three well-placed spikes helped secure a 25-20 win and a 2-1 advantage.

Türkiye fought back again in the fourth set, edging Japan 25-22 to force a decider.

In the fifth set, Japan jumped out to a 7-4 lead and maintained control. Ishikawa delivered two crucial spikes and followed with an ace to close the set 15-9, booking Japan's place in the semifinals.

"We're very happy to have won such an important match," said Japanese setter Nanami Seki in a post-match interview with the official tournament website. "We knew it would be tough, so we focused on our side and tried to play our best. Now we have a chance to win a medal, and we will fight for it."

Japan will face Brazil in Saturday's semifinal. The South American powerhouse defeated Germany 3-0 (25-19, 26-24, 25-14) later Thursday. Opposite Rosamaria Montibeller led Brazil with 13 points, while Germany's Lina Alsmeier scored 11.