The elimination rounds of the recently completed FIVB Volleyball Women's World Championship were both challenging and exciting, with the best eight teams battling it out in Apeldoorn, the Netherlands, and Gliwice, Poland, over the course of five days.
Defending champions Serbia definitely found their feet, securing three consecutive victories to defend the title they won in 2018 and extend their reign as world champions for another four years. Here are some of the best images from the last five days of an electrifying competition.
VNL champions Italy open the quarterfinals with a 3-1 win over China that had captain Myriam Sylla as one of the top performers
Ali Frantti delivers 18 points and Olympic champions USA cruise to a sweep of Türkiye
Led by captain Gabi Guimaraes, Brazil mount an incredible comeback to beat Japan 3-2 in one of the most exciting matches of the tournament
Serbia play against a packed stadium in Gliwice, but still manage to overcome Poland in the tie-breaker and move forward
The defending champions are back on the court less than 24 hours after their quarterfinal, but display excellent play to top the USA
In the other semifinal, Brazil defeat Italy for the second time in the tournament to return to their first gold medal match after 12 years
The Italians rebound quickly from their semifinal loss and sweep USA to claim bronze
The gold medal match opposes two of the main stars of the tournament - Brazil's Gabi and Serbia's Boskovic
The Europeans put on a flawless performance, win in three sets and retain their title
The champions land three players in the tournament's Dream Team, including MVP Boskovic, while Brazil and Italy have two athletes selected