China vs Japan

Japan strengthened their grip on the Men's Volleyball Nations League with a composed 3-1 victory over Asian rivals China in Linyi on Saturday, powered by another starring performance from opposite hitter Ran Takahashi.

Playing in Pool 3 of Week 1 at the Linyi Sports Centre, Japan made it two wins from three outings in the 2026 edition, while China slipped to their second defeat of the tournament.

Set Scores: 23-25, 22-25, 25-20, 25-21

Set 1: China start strong but Japan edge ahead

China came out firing, erecting a formidable wall at the net. They piled up six blocks in the opening set alone and finished with 14 across the match. For long stretches, the home side looked the more dangerous team, forcing Japan into extended rallies and capitalising on defensive errors. Yet Japan held their nerve in the closing stages, levelling at 23-23 before two clinical finishes swung the set 25-23 in their favour.

Set 2: Japan find rhythm

Buoyed by the opening-set escape, Japan settled into their attacking rhythm. The service pressure from Kento Miyaura and Takahashi began to destabilise China's reception, and the visitors raced to an early lead they never relinquished. China's blocking remained a threat, but their attacking efficiency dropped. Japan took the set 25-22 to move two sets ahead.

Set 3: China roar back

Facing elimination, China rediscovered their composure. The home side's middle blockers — who had been such a threat in the first set — reasserted their dominance, and the crowd in Linyi roared them back into the contest. A sustained spell of consistent serving and sharp transitions gave China a comfortable cushion, and they closed out the set 25-20 to keep the match alive.

Set 4: Japan close it out

The fourth set was tightly contested. China matched Japan point for point through the early exchanges, but Takahashi proved the difference. The Japanese opposite, who had tormented Poland's defence a day earlier in a five-set thriller, saved his best for the closing stages. He delivered crucial points from the right side and added two aces in the final stretch, swinging the momentum decisively Japan's way. Japan pulled away to seal the set 25-21 and the match 3-1.

Takahashi the difference-maker

Takahashi was the standout performer once again, a day after scoring a match-high 26 points in Japan's dramatic 3-2 victory over defending champions Poland. His all-court game — powerful attacking, reliable serving and improving defence — makes him the focal point of this Japanese side. Kento Miyaura chipped in with key contributions from the outside, while Akihiro Yamauchi anchored the blocking unit.

For China, the blocking numbers told an encouraging story — 14 rejections over four sets — but the attack struggled for consistency outside the middle. The passing game came under sustained pressure from Japan's aggressive serving, and China made too many unforced errors at crucial moments, particularly in the second and fourth sets.

Standings context

After the results in Linyi, Japan moved to 8 points from three matches (2-1), keeping them in the upper half of the early table. China remain with just 1 point from their three outings, anchored near the bottom but showing signs of improvement after taking Slovenia to five sets and pushing Japan hard in this contest.

Poland's earlier loss of the world No. 1 ranking to Italy after back-to-back defeats against Slovenia and Japan added extra significance to this VNL week in Linyi, with the standings tightening as the preliminary round progresses.

Up next

Japan face Slovenia in their final Week 1 fixture on Sunday, while China meet Cuba in a battle between two sides still searching for their first win of the tournament.