ICYMI: Top 10 highlights you shouldn't miss at the VNL Manila leg

MANILA, Philippines — Eight of the top nations sizzled in the Volleyball Nations League (VNL) in Pasay City, showcasing world-class athletes in the Philippines.

For the third straight year, the VNL, powered by PLDT Home, is back in the country to bring top-level volleyball action to the solid Pinoy supporters with crowd favorite Japan, the US, Germany, France, Iran, Canada, Netherlands and Brazil taking center stage.

The eight teams tussled in the pivotal last week of the preliminaries until June 23, fighting for a spot in the playoffs to be contested in Lodz, Poland.

This tournament is also the final qualifier to the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, France.

We’re rounding up the top OMG moments that Filipino fans have witnessed at the VNL Pasay City this week:

In the six-day competition, the visiting countries vie for a quarterfinals slot, hoping to climb the ladder of success and make it to Lodz.

Aside from the glory in the VNL, Olympics-bound Japan, USA, Germany, Canada, Brazil and host France are also aiming to strengthen the respective squads come the Olympiad, which will begin next month, July 26, and will last until August 11. 

Watching the games is a full sensory experience, as fans see, feel and hear the stellar play of the world’s best volleyball stars.

The fans are surely at the forefront of the games, with interaction a key factor in all of the contests.

From waving to the rhythm of Here comes the Boom after a powerful spike, to throwing your hands up in the air for Monster Block, VNL fans enjoy a good time with these chants.

More than the game itself, fans could freely meet and interact with their idols through a dedicated Fan Zone situated at the first floor lobby, where players pass through after each game.

It was introduced in the 2023 edition as fans have slowly returned to normalcy following over two years of restrictions due to the coronavirus pandemic.

More pieces of merchandise were also made available for fans to purchase at a reasonable price, with items such as T-shirts, hoodies, caps, tumblers and stickers of participating teams available.

A standee of Japan’s Ran Takahashi, along with teammate Yuji Nishida, USA’s Matt Anderson, France’s