Serbia W vs USA W

Serbia's second-set surge — fuelled by a pair of aces and relentless blocking — initially seemed to shift momentum. But U.S. head coach Erik Sullivan's group responded with a dominant third set in which they hit .484, recorded six blocks and never trailed. Setter Jordyn Poulter called a team huddle after the second set, telling the team they had let too many plays go. "I think we came out in the third and fourth and did exactly that," Eggleston said. — USA Volleyball

Avery Skinner (USA) — Player of the Match: The outside hitter recorded a match-high 18 points on 16 kills, one block and one ace, adding strong defensive contributions.

Logan Eggleston (USA): Equalled Skinner with 16 kills and added 17 points, hitting .429 with 10 digs and nine successful receptions.

Jordan Thompson (USA): The opposite scored 14 points on 10 kills, two blocks and two aces, pacing the team with seven points in the deciding fourth set.

Morgan Hentz (USA): The libero led all players with 11 digs and anchored a backcourt that held Serbia to a .228 hitting percentage after the first set.

Stephanie Samedy (USA): Entered via a double switch and delivered eight kills on 10 error-free attacks for a .700 hitting percentage.

The set scores show a match that looked straightforward on paper but was tighter than the 3-1 margin suggests. Serbia won the second set and led the first set 19-15 before the U.S. closed on a 10-3 run — a sequence that decided the match. The U.S. finished with advantages in kills (62-55) and blocks (11-8), while Serbia held a narrow edge in aces (5-4). The U.S. hit .392 for the match, a testament to Poulter's distribution and the efficiency of Skinner and Eggleston on the pins. The six-block third set tilted the match decisively.

USA improved to 7-1 in VNL 2026, sitting second in the overall standings with one week of pool play remaining. They went undefeated in Week 2, sweeping victories over Dominican Republic, Czechia, Italy and Serbia without dropping more than one set in any match. The U.S. now travels to Osaka, Japan, for VNL Week 3, beginning on 7 July against Thailand. Serbia dropped to 3-5 and will look to regain form in the final week of preliminary competition.

The head-to-head record now stands at 17-9 in favour of the U.S. across 27 meetings. Notably, this was the first time in the past four VNL clashes between these sides that the match did not go to five sets.

USA's depth and composure under pressure were the difference. After losing the second set — their first dropped set of the week — the Americans responded with their most dominant set of the tournament, a statement that underlined their status as genuine VNL contenders. Serbia competed hard but lacked the offensive firepower to sustain pressure across four sets against a U.S. side that spread its scoring across five double-digit contributors.