LINYI, China, June 11 (Xinhua) -- China lost to Ukraine 3-1 in the second round of the 2026 FIVB Men's Volleyball Nations League (VNL) here on Thursday, while Slovenia stunned world No. 1 Poland in a five-set thriller.
After a 2-2 start in the opening set, Ukraine produced an 8-1 run and later added a 6-1 surge before taking the first set 25-17. After the score was tied at 4-4 in the second set, the host took control with solid blocking and attacking play to level the match with a 25-21 victory.
The third set remained closely contested for much of the time. Spikes from Li Yongzhen and Yu Yuantai helped China stay within reach, but seven service errors proved costly as Ukraine claimed the set 25-20.
Although Ukraine committed several service errors in the fourth set, the European side handled the key points more effectively and sealed the win 25-22.
Ukraine's 34-year-old veteran Vasyl Tupchii scored a match-high 21 points, while Wen Zihua led China with 18.
"We failed to put enough pressure on the opponent with our serves, and our reception was not very good," Yu said. "The coach said our offense was acceptable, but we did poorly in other parts. We fought hard yesterday, and our physical condition dropped a bit today."
China head coach Vital Heynen expressed disappointment with the result.
"Today we tried, but you could see from the beginning, from the very first moment, that we were physically not as fresh as yesterday," he said. "We kept trying until the end. We tried a lot of players to see who could help."
Looking ahead, he said, "Now we have two more matches this weekend. I hope we can get at least one victory. We have to be very fair. Cuba is our biggest chance to win."
China will have a day off on Friday before facing world No. 7 Japan on Saturday.
"I prepared every match the same way, and we will try to deliver a good performance against Japan. It will be interesting because, like yesterday, we showed we can play five sets against Slovenia, the world No. 6 team," Heynen added.
Later on Thursday, world No. 1 Poland was beaten by Slovenia 27-25, 23-25, 26-24, 21-25, 19-17.
In the deciding set, the two sides remained neck and neck and were tied at 14-14. A long rally earned Slovenia a match point, but Poland repeatedly leveled the score before Slovenia eventually secured the 19-17 victory.
"I have no words. It's incredible," said Nik Mujanovic, who delivered a remarkable 37 points for Slovenia. "We all fought so well. They (Poland) were ahead of us for most of the match, and I'm very proud that we were able to complete this comeback."
"We did a good job, we gave everything, much better than yesterday," Slovenia head coach Fabio Soli said. "I'm very proud of my team. Nik is a special player. He is one of the best opposite spikers in the world."
