Amsterdam.- The Netherlands took a giant step towards returning to the FIVB World League for the first time since 2010 by beating the Dominican Republic in straight sets (25-22, 25-22, 25-21) in the first of two World League 2012 qualification first round match at the Topsport Centre of Rotterdam on Friday.

The hosts now just need to win one set to advance to the second round of qualification where they will take on Portugal, who finished 16th in the 2012 edition of the World League, for a spot in next year’s edition.

Dominican Republic captain Jose Miguel Caseres Gomez top scored in the match with 16 points but it wasn’t enough as three Dutch players reached double figures led by Maan Jelte with 15 points.