Germany handed Brazil their first defeat of the Volleyball Nations League (VNL) 2026 Preliminary Phase, coming out on top in a five-set thriller in Ankara on Sunday to close the second week of competition. The result ended Brazil’s unbeaten start and reshaped the top of the standings, with the United States moving into first place on set ratio.
Germany arrived in the match after a five-set loss to hosts Türkiye on Saturday, but responded by finishing strong and avoiding a second straight reverse sweep. The win lifted the Europeans to 11 points with three victories; they remained 11th in the table but improved their position in the race for a spot in the VNL Finals.
The upset also had a direct impact at the top: the United States and Brazil are now level on seven wins and 20 points, with the Americans ranked first due to a better set ratio.
Germany’s outside hitters deliver as Brazil’s streak ends
Germany’s outside hitter duo proved pivotal in the five-set victory. Pia Timmer led the team with 16 points, producing 15 kills and one ace. Romy-Aylin Jatzko added 14 points, with ten kills and four blocks.
“It was really special,” Timmer said. “It was a team effort all around. I’m very proud of everyone who came in. We deserved it, and we rewarded ourselves. Last night was bittersweet, so it felt even more rewarding. Now we just need to keep believing in ourselves and that we can beat teams like this. This has to be our mindset.”
Brazil still had the match’s leading scorers. Outside hitter Ana Cristina Souza finished with 21 points, tallying 18 kills, two aces and one block. Helena Wenk, coming off the bench, matched that output with 21 points, all from kills.
“It’s tough to have our first loss, but it’s important that it happened now and not in the Finals,” Ana Cristina said. “We know we have to improve, and we’ll use the next weeks to fix what didn’t work so well and get even better at what did work. Unfortunately, we lost the fifth set today, but this match showed that when we play together and help each other, we can come back from any situation.”
Beyond the standings, Germany also gained in the world ranking points exchange from the result, earning 13.27 points—enough to move into the top ten and up to ninth place. Brazil dropped the same amount but stayed second.
Germany’s win was part of a dramatic final day of Week 2, which featured six matches that went the full five sets across the three host cities.
In Ankara, Belgium overcame France in another five-setter. Middle blocker Britt Fransen led Belgium with 18 points (11 kills, seven blocks). Outside hitter Britt Herbots scored 15 points (14 kills, one block) and reached 1,328 career VNL points, tying Türkiye’s Ebrar Karakurt as the tournament’s all-time leading scorer.
Also in the Turkish capital, Türkiye edged China in five sets. Opposite Melissa Vargas powered the hosts with a standout 36-point performance (29 kills, four aces, three blocks). China’s captain and opposite Gong Xiangyu led her side with 22 points (20 kills, two aces) in her 100th VNL match.
In Pasig City, the United States beat Serbia to complete a 4-0 second week and rise to first in the standings. Outside hitter Avery Skinner led the Americans with 18 points (16 kills, one block, one ace), matching the 18-point output from Serbia’s outside hitter Nina Čajić (15 kills, two blocks, one ace).
Italy won a direct duel for third place by defeating Japan, sending the Asians down to fifth. Ekaterina Antropova posted a match-high 17 points (15 kills, one block, one ace) for the defending champions, while Mayu Ishikawa led Japan with 12 kills.
Czechia produced a comeback from two sets down to reverse sweep the Dominican Republic. Opposite Monika Brancuska starred with 28 points (23 kills, three blocks, two aces), while Flormarie Heredia scored 17 points (15 kills, two blocks) for the Dominican Republic.
In Bangkok, Canada delivered a major upset by defeating Poland behind 26 points from opposite Kiera Van Ryk (20 kills, four aces, two blocks). Canada moved to seventh, with Poland fourth. Bulgaria also won a five-set match against Ukraine, with Merelin Nikolova leading Bulgaria on 16 points (15 kills, one ace); Ukraine’s Anna Artyshuk scored 22 and Oleksandra Milenko added 20. The Netherlands closed the week with a sweep of hosts Thailand, led by Jolien Knollema’s 19 points (18 kills, one block), in a match that marked Thai libero Piyanut Pannoy’s 100th VNL appearance.
What’s next: Week 3 pools set for Hong Kong, Osaka and Belgrade
With seven Finals spots still available—China already qualified as hosts—the VNL 2026 Preliminary Phase will conclude July 8–12 across three locations: Hong Kong, China; Osaka, Japan; and Belgrade, Serbia.
In Hong Kong, China will be joined by Belgium, Canada, the Dominican Republic, Italy and Ukraine. Osaka will feature hosts Japan alongside Brazil, Poland, Thailand, Türkiye and the United States. In Belgrade, hosts Serbia will face Bulgaria, Czechia, France, Germany and the Netherlands.