Hong Kong. The Belgium women’s national volleyball team withstood a spectacular comeback from the Queens of the Caribbean to win 3-2 (25-19, 25-20, 14-25, 24-26, and 15-12) at the start of the third and final week of the preliminary phase of the Volleyball Nations League (VNL).
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Although the Dominican Republic could not complete the comeback after losing the first two sets, the match left a historic moment for national volleyball. Opposite hitter Gaila González reached 1,000 career points in the Nations League, becoming one of the most outstanding players of the tournament in recent years.
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The Belgians dominated the start of the match thanks to solid work in attack and blocking, taking the first two sets with authority. However, the Dominicans adjusted their game and responded with great determination to win the third and fourth sets, forcing an exciting tie-breaker.
In the fifth set, the Queens of the Caribbean managed to take a three-point lead and were close to completing a memorable comeback. However, Belgium reacted at the decisive moment with a six-point streak that allowed them to secure the victory.
With the win, Belgium improved their record to 4-5 and reached 10 points, climbing to eleventh place in the general standings and moving away from the relegation zone.
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For its part, the Dominican Republic added a valuable point by extending the match to five sets. The Caribbean team remains in 17th place with a 1-8 record and six points, two units ahead of France, last in the standings, in the fight to retain their spot in the VNL.
In the collective statistics, Belgium dominated in shots (67-60) and aces (6-1). Pauline Martin was the top scorer for the European team with 22 points.
For the Caribbean Queens, Yonkaira Peña stood out with 19 points, Gaila González with 17, captain Brayelin Martínez with 14, and Jineiry Martínez with 11.
After the match, Gaila González congratulated Belgium on their performance and assured that the team maintains confidence for the remaining commitments.
“They played a great game and we fought until the end. We continue working to improve every day and play high-level volleyball. The upcoming matches will be fundamental to staying in the Nations League and we will give our best,” expressed the Dominican attacker.
The Queens of the Caribbean will return to the court this Friday when they face Ukraine in a key match for their aspirations to remain in the top category of world women’s volleyball.
