TEHRAN – Iran lost to the U.S. in straight sets (25-22, 25-18, 25-23) in the 2023 Volleyball Nations League (VNL) Week 2 on Friday.

Amin Esmaeilnejad scored 16 points for Iran and Matthew Anderson earned 13 points for the Americans.

Iran will play hosts the Netherlands on Saturday.

The Persians had defeated Germany in Week 2 and lost to Italy.

The VNL Preliminary Phase will feature three weeks of competition, with each of the 16 teams playing 12 matches.

The eight best-ranked national teams in the Preliminary Phase will qualify for the Final Phase, which will be held in Gdańsk, Poland, from July 19-23 – host country Poland are already guaranteed a spot.