China edged the United States 3-2 Sunday at their first Pool H match of the FIVB Volleyball Women's World Championship, in five sets: 25-22, 19-25, 20-25, 25-23, 15-9.
China swept the United States in straight sets earlier this week in the second round of the tournament, but the reigning champions brought more troubles for China in Sunday's match.
The United States built an early lead 4-1, and dominated most of the time in the first set. But after trailing 16-19, China turned the tide with four straight points, and after leading 23-22, sealed the victory with a spike by Zhu Ting and a block by Yan Ni.
In the following two sets, the United States, with fast attacks and spikes by Kimberly Hill, won 25-19 and 25-20.
In the fourth set, after a tight first half, Zhu Ting's serves put China ahead 17-12, but the United States soon caught up, and after a 22-22 tie, Li Yingying's spikes settled the set 25-23, bringing the game to a tie-breaker.
The fifth set saw China leading 6-4 after Zhu Ting's spike and Li Yingying's block, and the United States failed to turn the tide before China sealed the victory 15-9.
Captain Zhu Ting led her team with 25 points, while Yan Ni, Zhang Changning and Li Yingying also racked up double-digit scores.
"It was a great game. The United States were very fast. They gave us a good chance to learn and improve ourselves," said Chinese coach Lang Ping after the game.
"We still have one more Pool H game, and we need to be more focused," added Lang.
"Regarding my performance, I think I can give myself seven or eight points (out of ten). While serves and attacks are my strong points, I still need to improve my reception and defense. I believe I will do better," said 18-year-old Chinese player Li Yingying, who entered the match as substitute but scored 12 points.
China will play the Netherlands on Tuesday.
In another match here on Sunday, Serbia took a sweet revenge to beat hosts Japan in straight sets, with the scores standing at 25-19, 25-18, 25-23, respectively.
Serbia and Japan both entered the match with seven wins and two losses in the tournament, with Japan beating Serbia 3-1 in the second round.
"This was an important game...Playing against a strong team like Serbia makes it difficult. We want to focus on the next game and work hard," said Japan coach Kumi Nakada.
The 2018 FIVB Volleyball Women's World Championship kicked off on Sept. 29. During the first round of the tournament that ran through Oct. 4, the 24 participating teams played in four groups and the top four teams of each group advanced to the second round.
The 16 teams in the second round played in two groups and the top three teams of each group advanced to the third round.
In the third round that kicked off on Sunday, China, the United States and the Netherlands fight in Pool H for the two tickets to the semifinals, while Italy, Japan and Serbia in Pool H fight for the other two spots. Enditem
