Earvin Ngapeth vs. Aron Russell | ???????? FRA vs. ???????? USA - Highlights Final | Men's VNL 2022

The reigning Olympic champions are now reigning VNL champions too! France won Sunday’s men’s Volleyball Nations League 2022 final to triumph with their first title in the history of the competition. In a spectacular five-setter, they claimed a 3-2 (25-16, 25-19, 15-25, 21-25, 15-10) victory over USA, leaving the opponents with their second silver and third VNL podium overall. The bronze medals went to Poland. The world champions produced a solid 3-0 (25-16, 25-23, 25-20) shutout of Finals hosts Italy in Bologna to earn their third VNL podium in a row, after their bronze in 2019 and silver in 2021.

Star outside hitter Earvin Ngapeth led France to the trophy, scoring a match-high 22 points towards the final victory. Opposite Jean Patry added another 17. On the other side of the net, outside hitter Aaron Russell led the US scorers on 20 points. Torey Defalco, whose move from the position of an outside hitter to that of an opposite in the American line-up changed the course of the game and almost led to a complete turnaround, finished with 13 points.

The first set was completely one-sided. With Patry on fire, France quickly took control and ran off with an early 8-4 lead on an ace by middle blocker Nicolas Le Goff. USA’s attempts to come back into the set were highlighted by a beautiful one-hand set by playmaker Micah Christenson for Russell to kill it for 9-6, but that only prompted the French to go on a six-point run to 15-6, during which Patry set a first ball for outside Trevor Clevenot to kill on two for 13-6. France cruised on until Clevenot again closed it off at 25-16 with a block.

Two kill blocks by Le Goff and an overpass kill by Ngapeth in between extended a French series to five in a row for an early 7-2 gap France’s way. Through the rest of the set, coach Andrea Giani’s team kept pace to stay in control. Ngapeth finished the job with a hit for the 24-18 set point and another won for the 25-19 set winner.

Defalco, having switched from outside hitter to opposite, Aaron Russell and sub-in Garrett Muagututia led the US offence in a massive third-set rebound. Defalco’s off-the-block hit and a monster block by captain David Smith crowned a four-point series that put the Americans four points up at 9-5. Everything seemed to be working for USA in that set as they kept widening that gap. A spectacular rally, with two incredible consecutive saves by Defalco and Christenson was finished by Muagututia with a two-handed shot for 20-13. Moments later, a powerful pipe by Russell delivered the set point, immediately converted by Defalco to a 25-15 win.

The fourth set was the most competitive so far. After 5-5, the Americans maintained a margin that varied anywhere from one to three points for a while with their blocking effort making the difference. The first time they widened the gap to four was at 22-18 on a sharp-angle kill by Muagutitia. In the money time, middle Jeffrey Jendryk hammered the overpass to bring in set point at 24-20 before a long serve by Ngapeth handed USA the set at 25-21.

In the fifth, an early six-point run for France was highlighted by a setter Antoine Brizard ace for 5-2 and two consecutive points by Ngapeth, a monster block for 6-2 and an overpass kill for 7-2. American attempts at a comeback were denied. Sub-in Quentin Jouffroy put in another ace for 13-9. Two US errors later, France triumphed as VNL champs at 15-10.

“We enjoy so much being together on the court. I think you can see that... We are super close outside the court and that’s the key. When we start playing with this energy and this chemistry, it’s hard to stop us.”
Antoine Brizard, setter of France

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Watch the Men's highlights between France and USA from the Final of the Volleyball Nations League 2022 in Bologna (Italy)! #VNL2022 #Volleyall

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