🇫🇷 FRA vs. 🇯🇵 JPN - Highlights | Week 2 | Women's VNL 2024

Making her way back up to the Coventry booth is Michelle McCombage alongside me, bringing the coverage here. As we just mentioned, the line-up here, no Helena Cazut, the big powerhouse for French volleyball. She is warming up, but only playing kind of back row at the minute, so we'll wait to find out the confirmation there. Go on runs quickly. Who has 100 points scored in the competition. Down the line, but good defense by Michelle McCombage. Just coming off the heel of the hand, topspin, dropping short. Set for reverse, angle in, and the block comes right back. This time it's Araki, for a timeout, and we see it again. Look at Araki's hands, that perfect wall, and she has that timing. Ishikawa. Oh, that's a great serve, dropping that one short. Might do it again. It's a nice take in the end, good confident pass. No touch. Okoga, oh, angles that back in, great pickup, what a save that is. Gerland stayed underneath the net. And now the block, is it a point for France? It is! Well, mental and physical toughness there from France. All the way from the defense, the coverage, and then the offense. Little surprise Japan didn't get that ball. In game one, they're playing back row. A little bit of confidence now, bringing in a star player on the defense. Okoga, ties that ball long, and it does catch the line. Well, that's a perfect response from the timeout. Played Brazil here in their first game, as all Japan-Brazil games seem to go. Went all the way to five sets, brilliant game. That's a lovely angle. A couple of points at a time is all they need to start to focus on. Ishikawa to the left-hand side, but she gets the ball back. That's a beautiful swing, dissected the defense. Nice swing in that approach, Ishikawa. Well, she went for the power that time. Good line serve onto Hayashi, she gets it back. Clap you can hear there from Gerland, encouraging her teammates to get underneath that ball. You can get underneath that one as that ball is put away by Yamada to take the first set. We see the highlights of that middle coming in. Bauer just, well, she's got a huge reach, hasn't she? Christine Bauer, but just having to reach at 196. A bit of slow with the footwork, so just the arms reaching out. As soon as that arms are out, they're dropping the height as well on the angle. Can't seem to forget what's happened that first set. Start again, focus on those one point at a time. With the serve and Japan comes straight away out the guns. What a set for Ishikawa on the right side. She holds her position there on the block. Now she stays on the left. That's a lovely swing cross-court. For the setter to get that ball in a perfect window, every hitter wants a different set. There's a beautiful shot. I really thought Iwasaki was going to set that ball. No. So tricky, deceptive. Executed beautifully. Oh, that's a lovely swing. With a smile in front, Jaquel. Stoyalikovic with the serve. Free ball. Aggression. Good intent and purpose in the French movement now. They're back within two points. Apparently. Keep your foot on the line. Make sure you know if it's coming in or out. Great short serve. Lovely pick up from Kazut. Come on to the court. Just check back and get the top spin on the shot. That was more just directed by a racket, wasn't it? 22-year-old. She's moved over to Turquoise to play her volleyball. Welcome a captain. Alunga-Andler who captained the team last week. Comes up. 17-23 then. Six points the difference. It's a nice flat ball in. Oh, that's a beautiful line shot by Hayashi. Ishikawa drops that short. Oh, great pick up from Stoyalikovic. Ishikawa goes again. Second time I'm asking. And that is the second set. Which is great for any aspiring Libros out there watching now. To kind of watch what these are doing. But also, what's the whole BNL about? It's the women's game. The level of defence of Libros. Runs the middle. Quick attack by Alunga-Andler. Ishikawa this time just squaring up to the net. Cut each other off and get that ball. Put a body on the floor. Araki back in through the middle. She goes. In any set so far. Had to adapt on the attack there. Couldn't get the full swing in. And can they take advantage? Great pick up. Good reactions. Oh, no. Just too much. Almost snatching at that one. Right on the line. It's an ace serve for the captain. So is Okoga. With a serve. On two it goes. So many combinations. So many people to watch. So many things to do. You're less stranded and there's nothing you can do about it. I think centres and middles have by far the hardest job in volleyball. I have to quote that and cut that. Go for it. I will continue saying it. That a Libro said that. And that's why they play either of those positions. Big swing. Coming in again now. Chance here with Kazut on the defence. Little tip. Coming in. Oh, what a pick up. Oh, this is great. Big finish for France. Is it just wide? Oh. Four points the gap here. France needs to focus again on the next point. Nice block. Defence in position. Oh, that one has caught the floor. Harisa in a way comes in. Where's number 10 for Ishikawa? From the back line. We've seen more of Undie. A little touch on the second ball. From Fukudome. Great resilience here from France. Can they get the finishing touch on the hit? She's ghosting it as well. It goes out wide to four. Somehow got that around the block. All smiles right now and it's all in this placement for Japan. Serena Koga. Ace serves it. That splits. Again, we go back to the very start of the game and that was the problem at the very start, wasn't it? Iwo Jini. 22-13. Where is it going to go? Nice swing. Chiquelle. That's a grunt of a tennis player on that serve. Little tip over. Potential big swing out wide here at four. What was that opportunity? Good short serve. There's a big swing. That goes straight into the block. But who's there? Chance here for France. Great defence. France have got to hold their position. They've got the nerve right on the block. Discipline needed here for France. Now some communication. A little bit of movement. And now a big swing coming in. And come again out wide. Oh, what a pick up. Come on. Go, go, go, go, go. What a performance. She's chasing it down again and hops over. But to no avail. Japan take the point and take the set. Which in close brings the match to a close. 25-15 in the third set.