Germany stopped China in Gliwice and stayed in the race for the VNL finals
The German men's volleyball national team ended the second week of the Volleyball Nations League 2026 with a victory that leaves it realistic room to continue fighting for the final tournament. On Sunday, June 28, 2026, in Gliwice, Poland, it defeated China 3:1 in a Pool 5 match, by sets 25:20, 25:20, 22:25 and 25:19. According to the official Volleyball World scoresheet, the match was played at 13:00 local time and was formally listed as the China – Germany match in the second competition week of the men's VNL season.
The result was important for Germany for several reasons. After the defeat against Poland the day before, Massimo Botti's team needed a response that would keep it in touch with the group of national teams aiming for the Final 8. Germany did that by controlling the first two sets, surviving China's comeback in the third, and making a decisive turnaround in the fourth set, when the possibility of a tie-break was threatening. According to a release by the German Volleyball Federation, the victory meant that the German selection left Gliwice with two wins and two defeats in the second week of the competition.
The first two sets brought German control
Germany entered the match more steadily, with clearer game organization and a better reaction after reception. The first two sets ended with an identical Chinese output of 20 points, which shows that China was not far from staying close, but it could not maintain its rhythm long enough in the closing phases. Germany finished both sets with a five-point advantage, and that difference was the result of calmer play in the key rallies, a better-quality block and fewer crisis moments in the transition from defense to attack.
According to the report by the German Volleyball Federation, the German block and defense were once again the foundation of the game. The DVV states that Germany recorded 15 direct block points, while China remained at eight. That ratio is not only a statistical detail, but also explains why Germany was able to maintain control in the first part of the match even when its attack was not perfect. In modern national-team volleyball, the block is often important not only as a direct point, but also as pressure that forces the opponent into more difficult attacking decisions. In Gliwice, precisely that segment gave Germany stability after the defeat against Poland.
China had periods in the first two sets in which it managed to open the court and slow down German attacks, but it lacked a consistent finish. Germany, according to the available information from the official reports, made better use of situations in which the point was decided after a longer rally. Such points are particularly important in the VNL because matches are played in a packed schedule, and teams often change line-ups and seek stability through tournament weeks. In the first two sets, Germany looked like a team with a clearer structure and more security in the decisive moments.
The Chinese response prolonged the uncertainty
The third set changed the tone of the match. China won it 25:22 and thereby opened the possibility of a complete comeback, after having been forced to chase the result in the first two sets. According to the DVV release, the Chinese national team showed more confidence and more consistency in its play after the second set. That was visible in better defense, a more determined attack and greater pressure on German reception. In such a period, Germany lost not only the set, but also part of the control it had had at the start of the match.
For China, winning the third set was particularly important because the national team had been near the bottom of the overall standings of the men's VNL 2026 before the match. The official Volleyball World standings after eight matches played show that China had one win and seven defeats, with four points. Such a position does not diminish the value of its resistance in Gliwice, but it emphasizes how dangerous Germany's drop in concentration in the third set could have been. In the VNL system, in which every national team fights through the preliminary phase for points, set ratio and overall placement, a lost set against a team from the bottom of the standings can have consequences in the final calculation.
Germany therefore had to react quickly. The defeat in the third set was not decisive in itself, but the fourth set carried psychological pressure because a tie-break would have opened room for the loss of an additional point and extra effort in an already demanding schedule. According to the official DVV report, China continued to apply pressure at the start of the fourth set and took a 12:8 lead. At that moment, the match was on the verge of a complete turnaround, and Germany needed a run that would stop China's momentum.
Simon Torwie's serve decided the fourth set
The key moment of the match came in the fourth set, when Simon Torwie came to serve with Germany trailing 8:12. According to the report by the German Volleyball Federation, his run put pressure on Chinese reception, brought two aces and helped Germany turn the set around to 17:12. That stretch was decisive because it changed the dynamic from China's pursuit of a fifth set into Germany's closing of the match. The final 25:19 in the fourth set confirms that after the turnaround Germany no longer allowed another Chinese comeback.
Torwie's serve was not important only because of direct points. His run showed how important controlled risk on the opening hit is in volleyball. After the match, the DVV conveyed his assessment that Germany can turn sets around when it puts the ball into play with enough quality from the service line and enables the block to work. That formulation describes well what happened in Gliwice: the serve did not always have to end as an ace, but it had to disrupt China's attacking organization. When that happened, the German block gained better positions, and the defense read the continuation of the point more easily.
Germany thereby avoided a scenario that would have significantly complicated its second week of competition. If China had forced a fifth set, the winner would have taken fewer points than in a 3:1 victory, and the match itself would have gained additional physical and mental weight. In the VNL tournament format, such differences can become important after twelve matches of the preliminary phase. In the fourth set, Germany showed what Botti, according to the DVV, singled out after the match as especially important: the ability to come back in a difficult situation and avoid a fifth set.
Böhme and Reichert led the attack, the block remained the trademark
According to data published by the German Volleyball Federation, the most effective German player was Yann Böhme with 19 points. Moritz Reichert added 15 points, giving Germany the necessary breadth in attack. Such a distribution of points is particularly valuable in matches in which the opponent begins to read the main attacking directions, because the team can maintain its tempo even when one option is closed. Böhme's performance also continues a good tournament week in which he had already been important in Germany's victory against Belgium.
Still, the blocking numbers perhaps most clearly explained the difference between the two national teams. The DVV highlighted Germany's 15 direct blocks compared with China's eight, and that figure speaks both to discipline in positioning and to the quality of reading the opposing attack. In the fourth set, after Torwie's serving run, the block became even more effective because Chinese reception was under pressure. When the opponent has to attack from less well-organized situations, middle blockers and outside blockers get more time to position themselves, and the defense behind the block receives clearer tasks.
Germany did not play a match without fluctuations, but in the most important phases it had more solutions. That is an important difference compared with the match against Poland, in which, according to an earlier DVV report, the German team lost control after a good first set against a currently very strong opponent. Against China, a crisis also came, but it did not turn into a complete collapse. That is precisely why the victory in Gliwice had additional value: it was not only a result against a lower-ranked national team, but also proof that Germany can stop a negative course of a match.
What the victory means for the standings
The official Volleyball World standings show that Germany, after eight matches, had four wins, four defeats and 12 points. It was therefore in the middle of the standings, just behind the group of national teams holding positions for the final tournament or very close to it. According to the same source, Japan was at the top with eight wins from eight matches, while the United States, Poland and Slovenia were among the leading national teams after the second week. Germany therefore does not have much room for mistakes in the final week, but with the victory against China it remained close enough for qualification to be decided in the remaining four matches.
The competition system further increases the importance of every victory. According to the competition rules published by Volleyball World, 18 national teams per gender take part in the VNL 2026, and each team plays 12 matches during three competition weeks in the preliminary phase. The best-ranked teams after the preliminary phase go to the final stage, and the national team of the territory hosting the final tournament has a guaranteed place. The men's final tournament in 2026 is played in Ningbo, China, from July 29 to August 2, according to the official Volleyball World calendar.
In practical terms, this means that Germany is not chasing only the number of victories, but also the best possible points and set ratio. A 3:1 victory therefore has greater value than a victory after five sets, because it brings the full points return and preserves a better impression in the standings. After eight matches, Germany, according to the official standings, had a set ratio of 16:17, which shows how balanced the season has been so far. Every set in the third week can affect the final position, and the victory over China prevented the German ratio from sliding further in a less favorable direction.
Gliwice as an important stop of the second week
Pool 5 in Gliwice brought together Poland, Argentina, Germany, Belgium, Türkiye and China. According to Volleyball World's official announcement, Poland, as host of one of the European pools of the second week, hosted national teams that had very different ambitions and current positions. For Germany, that week was important because it came after a demanding opening in Ottawa, where Canada, Italy, the United States and France awaited them in the first week. In its preview of the tournament week, the DVV stated that after the first four matches the German national team had two wins and two lost matches, but also the belief that it could fight for the Final 8.
The second week in Poland brought a mixed return. Germany, according to the DVV, lost to Argentina after five sets, defeated Belgium 3:1, lost to Poland 1:3 and then beat China 3:1. Such a run does not bring complete security, but it shows that the team remained competitive in most matches. Especially important was the response after the defeat against Poland, because matches in a compressed schedule often test mental stability. Against China, Germany showed that it can come back already the next day, which in the rhythm of a national-team tournament is just as important as technical quality.
For China, the match had a different context. As host of the men's finals in Ningbo, the Chinese national team has additional visibility this season, but results in the preliminary phase have remained modest. According to the official standings after eight matches, China was in 17th place, ahead of Cuba, with one win and seven defeats. Nevertheless, the third set and the start of the fourth against Germany showed that the Chinese team can be dangerous when it stabilizes reception and reduces the number of errors. The problem was that such a level did not last long enough.
The third week brings the decision
After Gliwice, Germany turns to the final week of the preliminary phase. According to the schedule published by the German Volleyball Federation, the German men's national team plays in Belgrade from July 15 to 19 against Slovenia, Iran, Serbia and Ukraine. That is an extremely demanding final block because there are no longer enough matches to correct major mistakes. Every defeat can move Germany away from the finals, while every victory against direct or close rivals can change the order in the middle of the standings.
Botti, according to the DVV, emphasized after the match that the team first has to renew its energy before the final week. Such a message makes sense because the VNL format is designed as a combination of a results-based competition and a long national-team cycle. Coaches have to balance form, player workload and tactical development, while at the same time every match is important in terms of points. In Gliwice, Germany got what it needed: a victory, the full points return for a 3:1 result and confirmation that it can react after losing a set.
The match against China can therefore be read as an important intermediate step, not as a final solution. Germany improved its situation in the standings, but did not secure the finals. China remained near the bottom, but showed enough resistance to force the opponent into a serious reaction. In the final four rounds of the preliminary phase, Germany will have to maintain the level of serving and blocking from the best periods of the match in Gliwice, with fewer fluctuations like those in the third set. Only then can the victory of June 28 gain full significance in the fight for a place among the national teams that continue the season in Ningbo.
Sources:
- Volleyball World – official scoresheet of the China – Germany match in the VNL 2026, with the result, sets, date, time and location (link)
- Deutscher Volleyball-Verband – report after Germany's victory against China in Gliwice, with data on the block, top scorers and reactions from the German camp (link)
- Volleyball World – official standings of the men's Volleyball Nations League 2026 after the matches of the second week (link)
- Volleyball World – official VNL 2026 competition formula, including the format of the preliminary phase and Final 8 (link)
- Volleyball World – announcement of the pools and host cities for VNL 2026, including Gliwice, Belgrade and the finals in Ningbo (link)
- Deutscher Volleyball-Verband – preview of the second VNL week for the German men's national team, with the schedule and context of the appearance in Gliwice (link)