Brazil women's volleyball face Belgium in VNL; Zé Roberto returns from suspension

The undefeated Brazilian women's volleyball team returns to action on Thursday against Belgium in the Volleyball Nations League (VNL). With five wins so far, head coach José Roberto Guimarães, known as Zé Roberto, will be back on the bench after serving a one-match suspension for making a gesture toward the Bulgarian coach.

Brazil is coming off a 3-0 victory over France on Wednesday, which was played without Zé Roberto due to his suspension. The punishment stems from an incident during the first leg of the VNL in Brasília.

The team's captain, outside hitter Gabi (Gabriela Guimarães), has yet to debut this season and will remain sidelined for the match against Belgium. She is being rested following a heavy season with Conegliano and due to lower back discomfort resulting from an injury suffered in March. Gabi remains on the roster for the Turkey leg.

After taking on Belgium, Brazil is scheduled to face China on Saturday and Germany on Sunday, all as part of the Ankara leg. In the first week of the competition, held in Brasília, Brazil defeated the Netherlands and the Dominican Republic 3–1, swept Bulgaria 3–0, and edged Italy 3–2.

The match against Belgium will take place on Thursday, June 18, at 10:00 a.m. Brasília time in Ankara, Turkey. It will be broadcast live on sportv2 with pre-game coverage starting at 9:40 a.m., and real-time updates available on ge.globo.