MANILA, Philippines — JAPAN capped an exciting opening playdate of the Volleyball Nations League in Pasig City with a tight win against Serbia, 20-25, 26-24, 18-25, 32-20, 15-7 on Wednesday at the Philsports Arena.
Mayu Ishikawa and Yukiko Wada combined for six of Japan’s nine attack points as they found another gear in the fifth set, while Serbia seemed to stall.
Ishikawa finished with 24 points on 23 attacks and a block as Japan made it five wins in as many matches this season in the FIVB’s premier annual international competition.
Wada had 20 points, all on attacks.
Aleksandra Uzelac scored 21, while Nina Cajic added 18 points for Serbia, which absorbed its fourth loss in five outings.
Hena Kurtagic had five of Serbia’s 15 block points, while Japan had only a total of four.
It was a thrilling end to a solid opening slate of the event presented by the Philippine Sports Commission.
The USA started the day with a 25-20, 25-19, 25-12 rout of the Dominican Republic for a 4-1 win-loss record.
Titleholder Italy then notched a 25-18, 25-21, 25-22 victory over Czechia.
The VNL features 18 of the world’s elite volleyball nations, with the top eight after the nine-leg pool phase advancing to the final stage set in Macau. TMT
