The Yellow Tigers suffered their third defeat of the third VNL week in Hong Kong. Facing reigning world champions and world No. 1 Italy, Belgium produced an encouraging performance and challenged the favourites for long spells, but Italy's quality ultimately proved decisive as they claimed a 0-3 victory (20-25, 16-25, 19-25).

Belgium made a strong start, racing into an early 4-2 lead. Italy fought back to level at 7-7 through solid blocking before Ekaterina Antropova fired two consecutive aces to give her side its first lead of the match (9-11). The Yellow Tigers continued to play composed volleyball, but the Italians demonstrated their world-class level in every aspect of the game to extend the lead to 13-17. Belgium refused to back down and closed the gap to 16-19. Antropova once again made the difference from the service line, while Paola Egonu converted an attack that was confirmed in after a challenge by the narrowest of margins. Italy moved further ahead to 16-22. At 17-24, the Italians earned their first set points. The Tigers saved three of them but eventually had to concede the opening set 20-25.

Belgium also faced an uphill battle in the second set. A dominant Antropova scored her 12th point of the match to make it 1-5, prompting head coach Kris Vansnick to call an early timeout. The Belgian reception came under heavy pressure from Italy's serving, but despite the difficult start, the Yellow Tigers remained organised and competitive. Italy was unable to increase its early advantage for a long time (6-11). When Antropova recorded her sixth ace of the evening to make it 7-15, the set appeared decided. However, with Van Sas serving, Belgium battled back to 11-15. The Tigers continued to play with great determination, forcing Italy to work for every point. At 15-18, everything was still possible, but a few Belgian errors were immediately punished by the world champions. Italy stretched the lead to 15-23 before comfortably closing out the set 16-25.

Italy quickly created another gap in the third set. After an exceptionally long challenge, the scoreboard suddenly read 4-10 and Belgium once again had to chase the game. The Yellow Tigers produced several good passages of play, but Italy remained ruthlessly efficient, making the 8-15 scoreline look harsher than the overall flow of the match suggested. At 12-19, the contest seemed over, but Belgium once again showed great resilience. The Tigers fought back to 15-19 and later to 17-20, forcing Italy to stay fully focused until the end. Belgium could get no closer, however. Italy earned its first match point at 19-24 and converted it immediately. Antropova sealed the victory with her 22nd point of the match, allowing the Yellow Tigers to leave the court with their heads held high after a strong performance against the reigning world champions.

Belgium started with: Van Sas (1), Radovic (9), Koulberg (1), Demeyer, Martin (13), Fransen (1) and Debouck.
Also played: Bertels, Lemmens (5), Nagels, Rampelberg, Deleu (12) and Luyten.

Reactions

Janne Deleu:
"It was a very physical match against one of the best teams in the world. We showed a lot of good things and proved that we can make a team of this level work hard. That gives us confidence heading into Sunday. Our focus now shifts to Ukraine. We really want to finish this VNL campaign with a win. First, we'll enjoy the rest day, recover well and prepare as best as possible for our final match."

Kris Vansnick:
"First of all, all credit to Italy. They are a fantastic example of how volleyball should be played at the highest level. They have world-class stars, and for our players it is a great opportunity to compete against a team like this. I was especially pleased with the resilience we showed today. At several moments we proved that we could put them under pressure. At times we drifted away from our game plan, which was unfortunate, but we also achieved several of the process goals we had set for ourselves. That gives us something to build on.
Now our focus turns to Sunday. It will be our final match of this VNL campaign and we are determined to finish it with a victory.

Reaching my 300th international match as a coach makes this day even more special. I have been part of the national team for twenty years now, and I remain very grateful to Gert Vande Broek and Jan De Brandt for giving me the opportunity to become part of this journey.
When I look back, many highlights come to mind: the journey from around 60th in the world rankings to the world's top 15 with different generations of players, the bronze medal at the 2013 European Championship, qualifying for the 2014 World Championship in Poland, and finishing ninth at the 2022 World Championship in the Netherlands.

But what I am most proud of is having the privilege of coaching the national team of my own country. That is something truly special. I also want to thank my family. They spend a lot of time without me and take care of many things at home so I can continue doing this job.

Finally, I am incredibly proud of the commitment shown by this current generation of players. Their dedication to representing Belgium, continuing to compete with the world's best teams and working every day towards our dream of qualifying for the Olympic Games in Los Angeles 2028 deserves enormous respect."