With the victory and the three points earned against the Belgians, the Netherlands moved three spots up in the standings, going from 12th to ninth with five victories and 13 points. They closed the gap to seventh-placed Germany (five wins, 16 points) and eighth-placed the United States (five wins, 14 points), which both still play on Thursday. Belgium are 14th, with three victories and eight points.
The good work of setter Sarah van Aalen was instrumental in the Dutch victory as she helped each of the team’s five starting hitters end the match with double digits in scoring – team captain Nika Daalderop led them with 18 points, followed by fellow outside hitter Helena Kok (14), opposite Elles Dambrink (12) and middle blockers Britte Stuut (12) and Suus Gerritsen (11).
“I’m very happy that we got to play for this crowd in this city that feels like home to me,” said Gerritsen, who played for Apeldoorn’s Draisma Dynamo from 2020 to 2025. “We had some difficulties in the third set, but I’m happy that we picked it back up in set four. That was a great job from our team, but Belgium also fought hard and played an amazing game.”