LINYI, China, June 12 (Xinhua) -- Poland suffered a second consecutive defeat after losing 3-2 to Japan in a five-set thriller at the 2026 Men's Volleyball Nations League (VNL) Linyi leg on Friday.
Poland took control early through strong serving and dominance at the net, but Japan rallied from a 13-13 tie to turn the opening set around and win 25-21. The second set remained closely contested until Poland pulled away after 9-9 to level the match with a 25-21 victory.
Japan regained momentum in the third set, winning 25-21, before Poland fought back late in the fourth set to claim it 25-22 and force a decider. Japan eventually clinched the fifth set 17-15 to secure the victory.
Ran Takahashi of Japan scored a match-high 26 points. "Today we played at our level and stayed very focused. Tomorrow will also be a tough match, and we will continue to play with our own style," he said.
Japan's Yuki Ishikawa said China's height advantage would pose a challenge. "We may lose points at the net," Ishikawa said. "Tomorrow we need to do a good job controlling the rhythm of the match."
Earlier on Friday, Ukraine swept Cuba 25-21, 25-20, 25-16 in a dominant performance built largely on forcing opponent errors. While Ukraine committed 15 errors throughout the match, Cuba struggled with 24 errors in total, including 10 in each of the second and third sets.
"We need to improve our reception, attacking and serving," said Cuba assistant coach Borja Resina Montero after the match. "We have to recover mentally and believe in ourselves for the next match."
Ukraine will have Saturday off before facing Poland in its final match of the Linyi leg of the tournament.
"We did a small target today," Ukraine assistant coach Agustin Ignacio Briscioli said. "Now we are looking ahead to the last match against Poland. Tomorrow morning will be for rest, then we return to training. We are really happy and ready for whatever comes next." ■
