The Volley Blacks pushed the home side hard in their first hit out at Puerto Natales, Santiago.
Chile, who are ranked 25th in the world, were a strong test for the Volley Blacks, who are on their first tour since 2019, but the team will take a lot of positives from the close scoreline.
"We were pretty happy with how we went, we couldn't quite get the points that mattered when the opportunity came, said captain Tom Hulston. "We've not played an international match in four years and these guys are training every single day, so we're going OK considering."
The two teams went point for point in the first set, until Chile took a 19-16 lead to create a buffer that allowed them to close out the first set 25-23, despite the Volley Blacks looking focused and composed through to the end.
Chile took the second 25-18. The Volley Blacks took the lead in the tight third set, until Chile eased past them late on.
"We're hoping to push them harder in the next game, hopefully take a few sets and even win a game," said Tom Hulston
