SUWON, South Korea, June 29 (Xinhua) -- The United States overwhelmed Bulgaria 3-0 (25-15, 25-17, 25-17) on Thursday, clinging onto their top ranking in the FIVB Women's Volleyball Nations League (VNL) preliminary round.
Meanwhile, Poland won a thriller over Germany 3-2 (15-25, 25-19, 25-19, 19-25, 17-15) to remain in the second place with an 8-2 win-loss record.
The match's top scorers were opposite Magdalena Stysiak for Poland with 22 points and outside hitter Lina Alsmeier for Germany with 22 points.
Poland's captain and middle blocker Agnieszka Korneluk contributed 15 points including five blocks.
Opposite Jordan Thompson led the U.S. with 16 points on 11 kills, four blocks, and a service ace. Outside hitter Kara Bajema totaled 14 points on six kills and team-bests of five blocks and three aces. The U.S. finished the match with a 16-6 advantage in blocks and a 7-3 edge in aces.
In other matches, the Dominican Republic swept the winless hosts South Korea 25-18, 25-18, 25-16.
Volleyball Nations League is the world's premier annual international indoor volleyball tournament. The top 16 teams in the world play four matches a week for three weeks of preliminary competition. The top eight teams at the end of the preliminaries will go to the Final Round.
The United States will host the 2023 Women's VNL Final Round on July 12-16 in Arlington, which means the U.S. automatically qualifies.
