Women's Volleyball Nations League (VNL) 2023: Preview, schedule and how to watch

Starting from Tuesday 30 May, the 2023 Women's Volleyball Nations League (VNL) will feature the top 16 nations from four confederations in the fourth edition of the prestigious international indoor tournament organised by the FIVB, the sport's governing body.

Reigning champions Italy claimed their first title in 2022 with a commanding 3-0 victory over Brazil in the final after the United States had won the first three editions of the event (2018, 2019, 2021).

Antalya (Türkiye), Nagoya (Japan), Hong Kong (China), Brasilia (Brazil), Suwon (South Korea), and Bangkok (Thailand) will host the preliminary round games until 2 July.

The final round of the 2023 Women's VNL is scheduled to take place in Arlington, Texas (United States) from 12 to 16 July.

Read on to learn more about the competition format, the schedule, the teams and standout players to watch.

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Volleyball Nations League (VNL) 2023: Format

The preliminary round of the VNL 2023 women's competition is split into three weekly phases.

The 16 teams are divided into two pools, and each week the teams in the pools are rearranged.

At the conclusion of the three weeks, the top eight teams in the standings will advance to the final round.

The draw for the knockout stages will be determined by the teams' rankings after the completion of the preliminary round.

Women's VNL 2023 - Teams and stars to watch

• Italy: 11 of the 14 players who triumphed in last year's VNL final in Ankara are back in the team, but the reigning champions will once again be without their star player, Paola Egonu. Even though the VNL 2022 Most Valuable Player (MVP) was included in coach Davide Mazzanti's list, she recently announced she will be making her return at the CEV European Championships in August. Egonu took a break from the national team following racist attacks on social media after winning bronze at the 2022 FIVB Volleyball Women's World Championship.

• Brazil: The three-time VNL silver medallists welcome back 35-year-old star middle blocker Thaisa Menezes, who last represented the team at the 2018 World Championship. An Olympic champion in Beijing 2008 and London 2012, Thaisa is regarded as one of the most accomplished players in the history of the Brazilian national team. Over a span of 12 seasons from 2007 to 2018, she achieved remarkable success, including five FIVB World Grand Prix titles (2008, 2009, 2013, 2014, 2016) amd two World Championship medfals (silver in 2010, bronze in 2014).

• Serbia: Last year's VNL bronze medallists are looking forward to the return of World Championship MVP Tijana Boskovic to their roster, after she skipped the previous edition of the tournament. Another significant addition for Serbia is the legendary 38-year-old setter, Maja Ognjenovic.

• United States: The most successful team in VNL history will be one of the teams to beat. Tokyo 2020 MVP Jordan Larson returns to the line-up for the first time since winning gold at Tokyo 2020.  She will be joined by other talented players such as Jordan Thompson, Kathryn Plummer, and Andrea Drews, who was named MVP in the last US victory in the competition.

• Türkiye: The team coached by Daniele Santarelli has consistently achieved top-four finishes in the VNL. They now have an additional asset in Melissa Vargas, an opposite hitter born in Cuba. Another crucial role is held by middle blocker Zehra Gunes, who was recognised as the best in her position at the 2022 FIVB Volleyball Women's Club World Championship.

• Japan: With their seventh and fifth-place finishes in last season's VNL and World Championship, respectively, the Asian nation has climbed to sixth position in the FIVB World Ranking. One notable addition to their roster is 31-year-old spiker Nagaoka Miyu, who returns to represent Japan after her last appearance in 2018.

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Women's Volleyball Nations League (VNL) 2023 - Teams and Rosters

Teams

• Brazil
• Bulgaria
• Canada
• People's Republic China
• Croatia
• Dominican Republic
• Germany
• Italy
• Japan
• Netherlands
• Poland
• Serbia
• Republic of Korea
• Thailand
• Türkiye
• United States

You can find the updated rosters here.

History of the Women's Volleyball Nations League (VNL)

The Volleyball Nations League (VNL) was introduced by the FIVB in October 2017, with the inaugural edition held in 2018.

The VNL replaced the long-standing World Grand Prix, which had been in existence since 1993.

Here's a medal summary of the women's competition:

• United States: 3 golds
• Italy: 1 gold
• Brazil: 3 silvers
• Türkiye: 1 silver, 1 bronze
• China: 2 bronzes
• Serbia: 1 bronze

Women's Volleyball Nations League (VNL) 2023: Schedule

Preliminary round

• 30 May - 4 June (Week 1):

Pool 1 in Antalya, Türkiye (Canada, Italy, Poland, South Korea, Serbia, Thailand, Türkiye, United States)

Pool 2 in Nagoya Japan (Brazil, Bulgaria, China, Croatia, Dominican Republic, Germany, Japan, Netherlands)

• 13 - 18 June (Week 2):

Pool 3 in Hong Kong, China (Bulgaria, China, Canada, Dominican Republic, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Türkiye)

Pool 4 in Brasilia, Brazil (Brazil, Croatia, Germany, Japan, South Korea, Serbia, Thailand, United States)

• 27 June - 2 July (Week 3):

Pool 5 in Suwon, Republic of Korea (Bulgaria, China, the Dominican Republic, Germany, Poland, Serbia, South Korea, United States)

Pool 6 in Bangkok, Thailand (Brazil, Canada, Croatia, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Thailand, Türkiye)

Final round

• 12 - 16 July

Finals in Arlington, Texas, United Stats

• 12-13 July Quarterfinals
• 15 July Semifinals
• 16 July Final

A detailed day-to-day schedule can be found here.

How to watch the Women's Volleyball Nations League (VNL) 2023

All the matches of the 2023 Women's VNL will be streamed live on VBTV.