Netherlands walloped Slovenia, 25-17, 25-21, 26-24, Tuesday to open Week 2 of the Volleyball Nations League Men’s Leg on a high note at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Skipper Nimir Abdel-Aziz provided muscle and firepower with 18 points off 15 kills and three aces as the Dutch picked up their third straight win after back-to-back losses for nine points.
Netherlands displayed its offensive prowess against Slovenia particularly in the crunch, where it rallied from a 22-20 third-set deficit to a 24-23 lead courtesy of Nimir’s variety of spikes.
Another down-the-line spike from Nimir and a service error from Slovenia sealed the game for the Netherlands.
Bennie Tuinstra Junior also shone for the Dutch crew with 13 points highlighted by 10 kills, two aces and one block while Thijs Ter Horst chipped in 12 points including nine attacks.
The Dutch outplayed the Slovenians in attacks, 38-35, despite the defensive efforts of the latter. Netherlands also waxed hot in the service area with nine aces and gained 24 points off Slovenia’s errors.
Rok Mozic scored 12 points while Ziga Stern fired all his 11 points on attacks, but they were not enough to lift Slovenia to the winning column as they fell to their third loss in five outings.
Meanwhile, Wednesday’s 3 p.m. match between China and France has been cancelled due to health reasons related to Covid-19.
According to the tournament bulletin, China could not field six players for the match due to medical circumstances.
The FIVB and Volleyball World have therefore confirmed the cancellation of the match with an automatic forfeit for China giving France a 3-0 win.