Olympic and World Cup champions China beat the United States 3-0
Friday at its opening match of the 2007 World Grand Prix women's
volleyball tournament Macao leg.
The US team, coached by China's volleyball legend Lang Ping,
imposed not much pressure on the host China, as the 19-year-old new
playmaker Wei Qiuyue managed to usher the Chinese into a 25-18 win
in the first set.
The Americans were in a hard bid to bounce back from the first
set groom and commandeered the net with robust blocks and spikes,
while the Chinese kept displaying their skillful trade-mark
stealing smashes to seal the second set 25-17.
China secured its victory in the last set by 25-22 with its
tireless defense and quick attack.
The host side's coach Chen Zhonghe said in the wake of the match
that his team dominated the tie with more powerful serves.
"The young playmaker Wei played very well today," Chen noted.
He hailed the young players' performance and encouraged them to
show more determination in the following matches.
The Netherlands beat Cuba by 3-1 in the opening game earlier on
Friday. The four teams are vying for the title in the round robin
format. China will play the Dutch women on Saturday while the US
will take on Cuba.
(Xinhua News Agency August 18, 2007)