Japan stretched its winning streak to six after a commanding sweep of Czechia, 25–15, 25–13, 27–25, in the ongoing Week 2 of the 2026 FIVB Women’s Volleyball Nations League, presented by the Philippine Sports Commission, on Friday at the Philsports Arena in Pasig City.

Coming off a thrilling upset of Serbia two nights earlier in front of Filipino fans, Hinotori Nippon showed flashes of brilliance throughout the match, although the Czechs managed to keep each set close in its early stages.

The Europeans, who had built momentum before dropping the first two sets, appeared poised to take the third after establishing a 16–13 lead, highlighted by a powerful spike from Gabriela Orvošová, before Japan forced an extended finish.

In the end, however, Japan would not be denied, as Wada Yuki closed the match with three consecutive kills to seal the victory in one hour and 24 minutes.

The 24-year-old Yoshino Sato was once again pivotal for the World No. 5 side, finishing with 21 points built on 18 attacks, two blocks, and an ace in the opening set. She also added 12 digs and four excellent receptions on defense.

“I think we played well today. We had some team targets, not just the result, but also some efficiency in the tactical approach. It was not very successful, so we always try different rotations, different players, and it always works. So, it is now six out of six. So, we will try our best again tomorrow and the next day,” said Japan head coach Ferhat Akbaş.

Czechia started strong, taking an early 8–5 lead, but Japan quickly shifted momentum and surged ahead at 14–11 behind Sato’s three straight booming kills.

Sato then took control from the service line, helping Japan extend the gap to double digits at 23–13. The outside hitter nearly closed out the set herself, redeeming an earlier attack error with a well-placed back-row kill for her 10th point of the frame.

The Europeans showed renewed resistance in the second set, but Japan tightened its grip through disciplined defense and efficient transition attacks, consistently shutting down Czechia’s attempts to finish rallies.

Hinotori Nippon produced 12 digs that turned into 16 attack opportunities, most of which came in transition. A clear example came from captain Mayu Ishikawa, who delivered a booming kill off a perfect set from Sato, bringing Japan within reach of a 2–0 lead.

Ishikawa finished with 16 points, all from attacks, while Wada added 13 points on 10 attacks, including the three match-sealing spikes, along with one block and two service aces.

Japan will now target a seventh straight win when it faces the Dominican Republic, which is still searching for a breakthrough. The match is scheduled for Saturday at 8 p.m.

Michaela Mlejnková led Czechia with 13 points on 11 attacks and two blocks, while Orvošová finished with 11 points on 10 kills and a block.

The European side, now 3–4, will take on the same Caribbean squad in Sunday’s 4 p.m. encounter.

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For the second time in her career, Alex Eala has defeated a current World No. 2.

Eala found the antidote to Elena Rybakina’s power, precision, and aggression, carving out a composed 7-5, 6-4 victory over the two-time Grand Slam champion from Kazakhstan on Thursday in the second round of the WTA 500 Berlin Tennis Open.

The two met for the first time last May 10 on clay in the third round of the WTA 1000 Italian Open, where Rybakina prevailed in straight sets, 6-4, 6-3.

Coming off a title run at the WTA 125 Lexus Birmingham Open two weeks ago, the 21-year-old Filipina entered the matchup hoping to flip the script against Rybakina on grass.

But the Kazakh star immediately reminded everyone of her pedigree on the surface, the same one that carried her to the 2022 Wimbledon crown.

In the last match of the day on Centre Court at the Steffi Graf Stadion of the Rot-Weiss Tennis Club, Rybakina came out firing, using her serve and baseline winners to surge ahead 4-2.

But Eala refused to back down, showing remarkable resilience as she broke Rybakina in the eighth game to level at 4-4.

The Kazakh briefly reclaimed the lead in the ninth game, but Eala shut the door from there, sweeping the rest of the set to take a one-set advantage.

Eala’s growing confidence, fueled by her ability to extend rallies and draw errors from Rybakina, carried into the second set.

She secured an early break in the third game to move ahead 3-1.

Although Rybakina held serve in her next three service games, Eala matched her shot for shot, maintaining control to complete a statement victory over the second seed.

Eala now advances to the quarterfinals, where she will face sixth seed Elina Svitolina of Ukraine, who earlier defeated hometown bet Eva Lys, 6-3, 6-2.

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Italy averted a massive meltdown and denied fellow European side Serbia in a thrilling 25–14, 25–15, 18–25, 21–25, 15–12 marathon to keep its Week 2 campaign unscathed in the 2026 FIVB Women’s Volleyball Nations League presented by the Philippine Sports Commission on Thursday at the Philsports Arena in Pasig City.

In full control early, the reigning champions appeared set for a straight-sets win before the Balkans finally found their rhythm and dragged the match into a deciding fifth set. Serbia, however, ran out of steam down the stretch as Italy steadied itself to secure back-to-back wins in the week.

Serbia mounted a last-ditch comeback, even leveling the fifth set at 10 after trailing by four. The Italians then faltered with several errors before Nina Cajic delivered a timely kill to keep her side within striking distance.

But back-to-back kills from Josephine Obossa and a Linda Nwakalor block on Anja Zubic restored Italy’s cushion at 13–10.

From there, an exchange of points sealed the match in one hour and 43 minutes.

Obossa led the charge for Italy with 18 points, while Sarah Fahr added 17 and Linda Nwakalor chipped in 13.

Ekaterina Antropova, limited early, finished with 12 points to round out the balanced attack for the defending champions.

“This game is full of ups and downs the whole time. We started really well, but then when they put in their starters, we struggled a little bit. But I think we did some good things and some things we had to work on. This is a new team, and also young, so we have to figure it out,” said Obossa, an opposite hitter playing in Japan for the Toray Arrows.

The defending champions were off to the races at the onset, capitalizing on Serbia’s fatigue after a five-set battle against Japan the other night and the opponent’s decision to field a rotated lineup.

After Serbia winger Vanja Bukilic cut the deficit to six, 10–16, with a well-timed spike, Italy stretched the lead back to double digits after Fahr denied Tica at the net, cruising to a dominant opening set.

The second set followed a similar pattern as the world No. 1 side overwhelmed Serbia with 11 attack points, but it was their net defense that truly broke the opposition’s resistance.

Fahr continued to be a menace at the net, collecting three more blocks in the set for a total of five. Obossa added two rejections as Italy finished with six blocks in the second frame alone.

Serbia, however, had other plans and surged early in the third set behind Nina Cajic, who led the charge with six points.

The World No. 9 side then capitalized on Italy’s errors in the fourth set, overturning an 11–17 deficit into a 25–21 win to force a decider.

Italy, though, would not be denied, with Obossa and Fahr leading the way with 18 and 17 points, respectively.

The reigning Olympic champions, now 5–1, will face the in-form USA in a high-stakes clash on Saturday at 4 p.m.

Cajic finished with a game-high 19 points on 17 kills, one block, and one service ace for Serbia, but it was not enough as the side absorbed a fourth straight five-set heartbreak.

The Southeast European squad (1–4) will look to snap its skid against the Dominican Republic in less than 24 hours on Friday at 4 p.m.

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