On July 28, 2025, the VNL Women's Volleyball World League Finals in Lodz continued! In the bronze medal match, Poland defeated Japan 3-1 (25-15, 24-26, 25-16, 25-23) to secure the bronze, while Japan finished in fourth place. Poland showcased dominance at the net with a staggering 15-2 block advantage, forcing Japan's attackers to struggle and commit more errors. Despite Japan's typically strong linking play, they had 30 errors compared to Poland's 24.
Key players for Poland included Stefaniak with 18 points, followed by Konieczna with 16, and Zurek and Lukasik contributing 12 and 11 points respectively. For Japan, Shimamura led with 15 points, with Ishikawa and Wada adding 12 and 8 points each.
In the gold medal match, Italy faced Brazil in a rematch of their 1995 Men's Volleyball World League final, where Italy won 3-1 under coach Bellasco against Brazil's coach Giampaolo. This time, Italy's women's team triumphed again, beating Brazil 3-1 (22-25, 25-18, 25-22, 25-22) to defend their VNL title. This victory marked Italy's fourth championship in four years, extending their international winning streak to 29 matches and VNL streak to 23.
Italy's scoring was led by Antropova with 18 points, Serra with 16, and Agnelli with 15. Brazil's top scorers included Gabi with 15 points and Kudis with 12 points.
With this win, Italy strengthened their hold on the top spot in the latest world rankings, while Japan dropped to fifth after losing to Poland.
