China edges United States to conclude VNL preliminaries with fourth straight win

ARLINGTON, United States, July 13 (Xinhua) -- China claimed another come-from-behind 3-2 victory over the United States on Sunday, closing the women's Volleyball Nations League (VNL) preliminaries with four consecutive wins.

Wu Mengjie led China with 27 points on 26 kills and an ace, while Zhuang Yushan and Gong Xiangyu contributed 18 and 14 points, respectively. China rallied past the hosts 18-25, 19-25, 25-21, 25-16, 18-16 for their third five-set win in Arlington.

Earlier in the week, China had also defeated the Dominican Republic and Germany in five sets, and beat Canada 3-1.

"I am pleased with the resilience demonstrated by our players," said China head coach Zhao Yong.

Trailing 5-4 in the tiebreak, China went on a 5-1 run to level the score at 9-9. After Wang Yuanyuan delivered a key block to give China a 14-13 lead, the Americans fended off three match points before Wu's smash and a final point from Zhuang sealed the win.

China finished fifth among the 18 teams in the preliminary round, with nine wins, three losses, and 24 points. They will face Poland, the fourth-place finisher and host of the Finals, in the quarterfinals.

The United States, led by Sarah Franklin's 32 points, ended eighth with a 7-5 record. They will take on top-seeded Italy for a spot in the semifinals.

Brazil, Japan, Turkey and Germany also advanced to the Finals, which will be held in Lodz, Poland, from July 23 to 27. ■