VNL Semifinals Set: Slovenia-Poland and Japan-USA on Saturday
Slovenia meets Poland and Japan faces the USA in Saturday's VNL semifinals, both rematches of tight five-set battles from earlier this year.
The men's Volleyball Nations League Finals semifinals take place Saturday, August 1, in Ningbo, China. Slovenia faces Poland at 15:00 local time, followed by Japan against the United States at 19:30.
Slovenia reached the semifinals for the fourth time overall, having finished fourth in all three previous appearances. They enter on the back of a 3-0 quarterfinal win over Turkiye. Poland, the defending champions and world's top-ranked team, beat Ukraine 3-1 in their quarterfinal and are chasing their third VNL title. The two sides have met 18 times over the past 12 years with an even head-to-head record, though Poland lead 4-3 in VNL meetings. Their most recent clash, during this year's Preliminary Phase, went to Slovenia in five sets.
Japan remain the tournament's only undefeated team, having topped the Preliminary Phase and then beaten host China 3-1 in the quarterfinals. The United States reached the semifinals after sweeping world champions Italy 3-0. Japan and the U.S. have met 50 times in major tournaments, with the Americans leading the all-time series, though Japan has won the last three VNL meetings between the sides, including a five-set win in this year's Preliminary Phase.
