Players of China celebrate winning the Round Robin match between China and Serbia at the 2019 FIVB Women's World Cup in Osaka, Japan, Sept. 28, 2019. (Xinhua/He Canling)
OSAKA, Japan, Sept. 28 (Xinhua) -- China became back-to-back champions one round in advance after beating Serbia 3-0 here on Saturday at the FIVB Volleyball Women's World Cup, while South Korea stunned powerhouse Brazil 3-1.
With a perfect 9-0 record prior to the match, China would lift the World Cup one round in advance should they triumph over the reigning world champions, which dispatched a young squad to Japan.
Captain Zhu Ting had the game-high 18 points in the 25-14, 25-21, 25-16 victory, followed by Zhang Changning, who contributed 16 points, including three kill blocks where China bested Serbia 10-2. Tournament leading scorer Ana Bjelica scored 15 points for the European champions.
"I think we are a better team now because every one of us has made progress," Zhu told Xinhua, adding that she preferred to celebrate after the last match against Argentina, who fell to host nation Japan 26-24, 25-15, 25-14.
Kim Yeon-koung scored 25 points to spearhead South Korea outplaying two-time Olympic champions Brazil 25-23, 18-25, 25-20, 25-21. Lee Jaeyeong added 20. Lorenne Geraldo Teixeira led the Brazilian attackers with 23 points.
"Today, we had a few problems but I am happy with the win. I think one of the keys today was our serve. We were able to serve better than Brazil, but we also had good plays at important moments in the match," said Kim, who contributed five aces for the world no.7.
The Dominican Republic managed to convert their two-set advantage to an eventual 25-23, 25-22, 25-27, 18-25, 15-4 win over the Netherlands. Brayelin Elizabeth Martinez contributed 26 points while Bethania De La Cruz added 17. Lonneke Sloetjes recorded a game-high 29 points in vain to lift the European side that suddenly lost momentum in the decider.
"I'm more than just happy - I'm happy because of the way we won. This was a very hard, tough game. This is the sort of match that shows us the way forward. In the first and second sets we were able to win them easily. But in the third our reception got worse. And then the Netherlands service picked up, so we lost that (third) set and the next one too. In the fifth our service and reception picked back up and so we were able to win. We still have one match left, and of course we'll study and practice for the next match against Serbia," Dominican Republic coach Marcos Kwiek said.
Elsewhere, Russia breezed past Kenya 25-16, 25-21, 25-22 to consolidate their third place on the table. Nataliya Goncharova recorded 25 points to close the gap with Bjelica to three points, possibly taking the Best Scorer award from the Serb in the match against Brazil.
The United States cruised to a 25-19, 25-15, 25-5 win over Cameroon. The Nations League champions doubled their opponents in attacks 49-21, with Karsta Lowe having a game-high 17 points.
The two African teams, which remained winless to tail the table, will meet on Sunday, with both sides trying for a good ending in the tournament.
The World Cup will conclude on Sunday after the awarding ceremony for the medalists and individual award winners.
