Volleyball News All Things Volleyball
Slovenia has finally secured their first-ever medal in the men’s Volleyball Nations League, clinching the bronze in a hard-fought four-set victory over Japan. This historic achievement came on their fourth attempt at the VNL third-place match, marking a significant milestone for the Slovenian team.
Slovenia’s Breakthrough in VNL Bronze Match
The Slovenian squad triumphed with a 3-1 scoreline (25-21, 26-28, 25-22, 25-22) against Japan in Ningbo Beilun, China. This victory prevented Japan from securing their third VNL medal and relegated them to fourth place, a position they’ve now experienced for the first time after previous strong showings. Slovenia, having finished fourth in 2021, 2024, and 2025, finally broke through to stand on the podium.
The opening set was a tightly contested affair with numerous lead changes. However, Slovenia’s strong serving performance proved decisive in the crucial moments. A key break point at 20-18 widened the gap, with a substitute ace and a powerful strike from opposite Nik Mujanovic securing set point. Captain Tine Urnaut sealed the set at 25-21 with a successful attack.
Battles and Resilience in Key Sets
The second set saw an intense scoring duel between Japan’s Ran Takahashi and Slovenia’s Rok Mozic. Japan held the lead for much of the set, but Slovenia managed to erase a three-point deficit and even take a slight advantage. However, Japan fought back, and after going into overtime, Ran Takahashi delivered the winning hit at 28-26, the ball deflecting off the Slovenian defense.
In the third set, after a close start, Slovenia surged ahead with a five-point run while setter Uros Planinsic was serving. Although Japan fought back to close the gap, they couldn’t regain the lead. Slovenia maintained their initiative, with an unexpected quick attack from Urnaut through the middle securing the set 25-22.
Facing elimination in the fourth set, Japan came out strong, establishing an early four-point lead. Slovenia, however, demonstrated remarkable resilience, not only leveling the score at 11-11 but also taking control of the scoreboard. Nik Mujanovic was instrumental, delivering consecutive spike kills to earn match point. Despite Japan’s efforts to defend, a service error finally ended the match at 25-22 in favor of Slovenia.
Statistical Highlights and Player Performances
While Slovenia committed more unforced errors than Japan (33 to 23), they compensated with superior offensive execution (62-52 successful swings), net defense (10-5 kill blocks), and serving (6-3 aces). Nik Mujanovic led the scoring with 24 points, including key blocks and an ace, closely followed by Rok Mozic with 23 points and two aces. Middle blocker Jan Kozamernik also contributed significantly with 10 points.
For Japan, Ran Takahashi was the top scorer with 20 points, while Yuji Nishida added 10.
“Yesterday, my roommate Jan Kozamernik and I saw that the head-to-head between Japan and Slovenia was 8-3 to them and 7-0 in the last matches, but I had a feeling, because we were really doing something crazy in this VNL. I am so happy! This team deserves it. I said to Tine and Pajenk that they were waiting for a medal for 20 years and it came,” said Rok Mozic. “We’ve had a lot of fourth places and it was very unlucky. Now we are so happy – it’s like gold for us! I always say, I just want to finish a tournament with a win, and it finally happened and I am really proud of this team. We did something special and it will be remembered forever!”
Looking Ahead: VNL 2026 Finals
Following this bronze medal match, the focus shifts to the VNL 2026 gold medal showdown. Poland and the United States are set to battle for the championship title, in a rematch of the 2023 final. The match is scheduled to begin at 19:30 local time (11:30 UTC).
Source: Volleyball World
