Zhu Ting shines brightest as China’s volleyball stars blow rivals Japan away in Hong Kong leg of Nations League
The world’s most expensive player in superb form as she leads the mainlanders to another comprehensive victory before a partisan crowd at the Coliseum
China dominated from the first point in a partisan Hong Kong Coliseum where they beat Japan 3-0 in the FIVB Volleyball Nations League on Wednesday night.
The world’s number one team, led by returning captain Zhu Ting, scored a comprehensive 3-0 (25-21, 25-19, 25-17) win before a capacity crowd.
The second win from two games in Hong Kong leaves China 5-3 in the series and hitting form as the finals in Nanjing loom on the horizon in late June. China qualify automatically as hosts but three points from this win leaves them inside the top six on the table and four points clear of Russia with another victory expected on day three.
Lang Ping’s side dominated Asia’s second best team and finished the job inside 90 minutes to the delight of the crowd. Zhu, 23, gave the home fans what they wanted, top scoring with 19 attacking points and covering every inch of court as she displayed her full range of skills.
No other Chinese player scored more than five attacking points, although Gong Xiangyu led the way with five blocks. Zhu attempted 34 spikes but found time to dig the ball out for teammates, with two monster examples from the back court in the third set.