China women’s volleyball team finish Nations League leg on a high after opening defeat
Youngest squad in team’s history start event in Nanjing by losing to Czech Republic but recover to beat Serbia, Thailand and Poland
China’s women’s volleyball team head to Ankara, Turkey next week for the second stop of the Volleyball Nations League (VNL) in good spirits after finishing the opening leg in Nanjing with three wins and one loss.
After struggling at the start of the tournament, China won their final match on Sunday evening at the Nanjing Olympic Youth Sports Park Gymnasium by beating Poland in four sets.
Coming from a set down, China rallied to defeat the previously unbeaten European side 3-1, winning 16-25, 25-18, 25-23, 26-24 to end the Nanjing leg on a three-match winning streak.
It capped a much-improved response from a young China side that had struggled in its season opener against the Czech Republic, when the team lost 25-20, 25-20, 26-24 and looked out of rhythm for long stretches.
China responded in their second match against Thailand, keeping the same starting line-up from the opener in a hard-fought five-set contest. The team prevailed 25-14, 24-26, 25-19, 23-25, 15-7 after going toe to toe with the Southeast Asian side across five sets.