Slovenia survives China's gallant stand; Italy, Brazil notches wins in VNL 2023 Manila Leg Day 3

Slovenia bucked a late scare from China, while Italy and Brazil dispatched their respective opponents to end the third day of the Volleyball Nations League (VNL) 2023 Manila Leg on a winning note at Mall of Asia Arena on Thursday, July 6.

The Slovenians recovered from a five-point deficit in the fourth set, 15-10, to end the strong resistance of the hard-fighting Chinese side, winning the encounter via a 25-21, 25-20, 24-26, 25-23 four-set victory.

They blew a 24-22 lead in the third set, allowing China to gain momentum and turn the tides in their favor in the following frame.

Gheorghe Crețu's team started strong, with his attackers piercing China's towering net defense. He and his wards fended off the valiant Chinese endgame efforts in Sets 1 and 2 for a 2-0 set lead.

Klemen Cebulj uncorked 21 points to headline the European squad that raised their record to 7-3, tied with Brazil and Italy for the third to fifth spot.

Ziga Stern had 18 points built on 17 attacks and an ace, while Jan Kozamernik and Tine Urnaut added 13 markers each for Slovenia.

Jingyin Zhang, on the other hand, paced China with 16 points, seven of those in their Set 3 win to extend the match, from 14 hits, two blocks, and a service ace.

Fellow outside hitter Yu Yuantai contributed 15 markers on 15 attacks. Unfortunately, his and Zhang's contributions went futile as China dropped to 14th place in the standing with a 2-8 mark.

Meanwhile, Italy took their seventh win in 10 matches, surviving a thrilling five-setter clash against Canada, 25-14, 23-25, 25-20, 23-25, 15-9.

Five Italians registered double figures, led by Alessandro Michieletto's 18, while Gianluca Galassi and Yuri Romano chipped in 17 points apiece.

Roberto Russo and Daniele Lavia pounded 15 and 10 markers, respectively, for the reigning World Championship titlist at Canada's expense in a back-and-forth showdown.

Second-ranked Italy began their Manila campaign with a reverse sweep of Brazil last Tuesday, 23-25, 25-20, 25-25, 25-21.

Ryan Joseph Sclater put 22, Stephen Maar listed 18, and Nicholas Hoag nailed 14, but Canada still fell to their eighth defeat in 10 games, good for 13th place.

In the first match of the Thursday triple-header, Brazil returned to its winning ways after sweeping the Netherlands, 25-21, 25-15, 25-20.

The Brazilians improved to a 7-3 win-loss slate behind the 10-point outings of Henrique Honorato and Lucas Saatkamp, while Ricardo Lucarelli Souza and Alan Souza tallied nine each.

The South Americans played great defense against VNL 2023's current number one scorer Nimir Abdel-Aziz, limiting him to just eight points. The hard-hitting opposite spiker's production got lessened as the game progressed.

After smashing five points in Set 1, Abdel-Aziz was limited to three in the next frame before going scoreless in the third and final set.

The 31-year-old Dutch came from a 24-point explosion in their 25-22, 25-22, 17-25, 25-18 triumph against Canada on Wednesday.

The Netherlands remained in eighth place with an even 5-5 card after the loss to Brazil. Wouter Ter Maat was the lone bright spot with 10 points, as the rest of the Dutch side hadn't hit double digits.

Only the top eight teams from the 16-nation competition after the final round will advance to the next phase.

Poland will host the VNL 2023 final round from July 19-24.

Slovenia will go head-to-head against Italy on Friday, July 7, at 3 p.m. after the 11 a.m. bout between Brazil and Poland. Capping the Friday festivities is the Netherlands-Japan tussle at 7 p.m.