China’s women’s volleyball team snapped a three-game losing streak Thursday with a 3-0 victory over underdogs Ukraine at the Kai Tak Arena.
The victory was only China’s fifth win in 10 Women’s Volleyball Nations League matches this season, although the statistics will not prevent their guaranteed participation in the final round of the season, which will be played in Macau from July 22 to 26.
With Wednesday being a rest day at the Fifa World Cup, China’s state broadcaster CCTV showed the match live across the country and world No. 7 China did not disappoint, coming back to secure a much-needed win ahead of Sunday’s clash with Italy.
Led by outside hitter Zhuang Yushan and middle blocker Wang Yuanyuan, China was never far behind, and led by as many as eight points before emerging victorious 25-18.
Ukraine went ahead early after the restart and immediately led 17-12, but Zhao Yong’s men did not have to be sent out with an empty court and were able to run 8-2 to gain momentum and steal the second set 25-22.
The momentum was with the locals as they withstood the pressure in the third set before winning 25-20 to seal the win, with Zhuang and Wang leading the team with 18 and 16 points respectively.
