Japan 🇯🇵 vs USA 🇺🇸 | Highlights | Men's VNL 2026

Japan vs USA | Highlights | Men's VNL 2026. The second week of the qualifying round of the Volleyball Nations League 2026 (VNL) is being held in Orleans, France, starting Wednesday, June 24th.

The Japanese men's volleyball team, ranked 5th in the FIVB world rankings (as of the start of the match), faced the USA, ranked 3rd, on Saturday, June 27th Japan time. They won in a full set, 3-2 (18-25, 25-21, 20-25, 25-22, 15-13), bringing their overall record to 7 wins and 0 losses.

In the first set, Japan's first points came from a quick attack by Akihiro Yamauchi. With spikes from Kento Miyaura and others, the score was 7-5. The game continued to be a back-and-forth affair, but Japan struggled with the American serves and fell behind 16-20. Japan tried to change the momentum by making a double substitution of Motoki Nagaro and Yuto Kai, but their serve reception continued to falter, and they lost the first set 18-25.

In the second set, both teams displayed focused play from the start, resulting in a close match at 8-8. Similar to the first set, Japan struggled with serve reception, but a serve from relief server Kai led to a break, tying the score at 17-17. Good plays from Takahashi Ran gradually shifted the momentum in Japan's favor, and a break from relief server Otsuka Tatsunori gave them their first lead of the set at 21-20. Otsuka's good serves continued, and Miyaura's spikes were successful, giving Japan the second set 25-21.

In the third set, they immediately conceded four consecutive breaks, falling behind 0-4. They struggled against the American serves, falling behind 3-8, and the match continued without them closing the gap. Eva Dedan Larry hit a service ace, but they lost the set 20-25.

In the fourth set, they made significant changes to their lineup. Ran Takahashi scored a service ace to make it 3-1. Ran Takahashi scored a block to make it 15-14. Relief server Otsuka's serve gave them a break, and they were leading 22-21 as the set neared its end. The opponent's spike went out to make it 23-21, and Miyaura's back attack made it 24-21. Finally, the American serve was an error, and the set score was tied at 2-2.

In the fifth set, Shoma Tomita's short serve disrupted the opponent's serve reception, and he himself scored with a pipe attack to make it 6-5. Ran Takahashi's spike made it 7-5, prompting the USA to call a timeout. However, the momentum remained with Japan, and relief server Kai scored a service ace. Ran Takahashi's service ace made it 12-8. The USA narrowed the gap to just one point, but Ran Takahashi scored with a back attack to make it 15-13. Japan won the match 3-2 in sets, securing their second consecutive five-set victory and extending their winning streak to seven games since the start of the season.

The Japanese men's national team will face France (ranked 7th), the host country of the French tournament, in their next match on Sunday, June 28th at 24:00. Please continue to support the Japanese men's national team, who are on a seven-game winning streak.

Japan vs. France, Men's VNL 2026 24:00 JST, June 28th (Sun)

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