The Dominican Republic pulled off one of the biggest upsets of the season so far, stunning previously unbeaten Japan in a five-set thriller, 17–25, 25–20, 28–26, 25–23, in the ongoing 2026 FIVB Volleyball Women’s Nations League, presented by the Philippine Sports Commission, on Saturday at the Philsports Arena.
After six straight defeats, the Dominicans finally broke through, making key adjustments in their rotation and leaning on the breakout performance of Flormarie Heredia.
The 23-year-old outside hitter provided the spark throughout the match, steadying the Dominican offense even as Japan — led by Sato Yoshino, Wada Yukiko, and Kitamado Ayane — mounted repeated comeback attempts from the second to the fourth sets.
Heredia set the tone late in the match before captain Brayelin Martinez delivered back-to-back kills to close out both the fourth set and the two-hour contest, finally snapping their losing skid.
Heredia finished with a match-high 17 points on 16 attacks and one block, alongside four digs and eight excellent receptions.
Martinez contributed five points, but her timely hits proved crucial in sealing the victory. Her sister, Jineiry Martinez, also made her presence felt at the net with 14 points, including four blocks.
“It was all about the mentality. As I said, we came from really hard plays, and we lost a lot of games. But I think we put our focus and our minds to change the game; and that’s what we did,” said Heredia, who has also represented the country in U20 competitions.
The Dominicans, often referred to as the Quisqueyanas, started slowly as they struggled to solve Japan’s defensive structure in the opening set.
Once they settled into rhythm, however, they gradually took control of the match.
Japan, meanwhile, saw its block coverage break down at key moments, though it still found points in transition when the Dominican side gave up manageable attacking opportunities.
In the end, however, the Caribbean squad regained composure to complete the upset.
The Dominican Republic, now 1–6, will aim for back-to-back wins when it faces Czech Republic (3–4) on Sunday at 4:00 PM.
For Japan, Wada matched Heredia’s 17 points on attacks, while Sato and Kitamado added 16 and 14 points, respectively.
Captain Ishikawa Mayu sat out the match, likely as a precaution ahead of Japan’s clash with reigning champion Italy (5–2) at 8:00 PM on Sunday.
