NINGBO, China, July 30 (Xinhua) -- The United States and defending champion Poland advanced to the semifinals of the FIVB Men's Volleyball Nations League Finals with quarterfinal victories on Thursday.
The sixth-ranked United States swept No. 2 Italy 25-22, 25-21, 25-21 to reach the VNL semifinals for the fifth time. A dominant serving performance proved decisive as the Americans finished with 14 aces against last year's runner-up.
The United States took control early with aggressive serving to claim the opening two sets before Italy threatened to rally in the third. Trailing 15-10, the Americans responded with a six-point run powered by strong serving and attacking to pull away and complete the straight-sets victory.
Opposite hitter Jake Hanes led all scorers with 21 points, including six aces.
"I think we all did a good job of trying to stay aggressive against a really good side-out team," Hanes said. "We had to come together and hit some good serves, and it ended up working out for us."
Italy opposite Yuri Romano scored a team-high 16 points but said his side struggled to cope with the American serve.
"They are a strong team; we know that. They played well. I think we also played quite well, but the problem was with reception," Romano said.
"When we played the ball, we were good, but we allowed too many aces. When you don't hold your side-out, it's difficult."
The United States will next face Japan, which reached the semifinals on a 13-match winning streak.
In the other quarterfinal on Thursday, top-ranked Poland defeated Ukraine 25-22, 22-25, 25-20, 25-17 to book a semifinal against Slovenia on Saturday. ■
