The Netherlands pulled through with a dominant three-set win over European rivals Slovenia, 25-17, 25-21, 26-24, to take their third victory of the 2022 FIVB Volleyball Nations League, Tuesday afternoon at the SMART Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City.
Captain Nimir Abdel-Aziz ended with 18 points on three aces and 15 spikes, including that crucial hit that sent the Netherlands to match point.
“Every win is important,” Abdel-Aziz said of the win that saw the Orange Tulips go up to 3-2. “I think it’s a good start, and we still have three games more. It is always nice to start with a win. Slovenia is a good team, so it’s a really nice win.”
The Netherlands was off to a good start in the opening set as setter Wessel Keemink used his different points of attack to take the 12-10 lead into the technical timeout. The Dutchmen also continued to pounce on Slovenia’s passing woes and transition problems to eventually bag the opening set at 25-17.
In the second set, Slovenia made some adjustments in their reception and took early control of the frame. The Netherlands, though, had other plans and slowly crawled back into the set and snatched the set for a 2-0 advantage.
Needing to come back in the game, Slovenia turned to their net defense late in the third set to slow down the Dutch attack.
The Netherlands then returned to their service game and with their transition attack working, they eventually wrapped up the match and the win.
Outside hitters Bennie Junior Tuinstra and Thijs Ter Horst chipped in 13 and 12 markers each, respectively. Tuinstra ended with 10 spikes, two aces, and a block, while Ter Horst finished with nine attacks, two aces, and a block.
The Netherlands will take on Olympic champions France (4-1) on June 23 at 11 a.m.
Outside hitters Rok Mozic and Ziga Stern lifted Slovenia in the game with 12 and 11 markers, respectively. Mozic had a balanced scoring of eight attacks, three blocks, and an ace, while Stern pulled through with 11 spikes.
Slovenia, which slipped to 2-3, will try to bounce back against Argentina (1-3) later that day at 7 p.m.
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