China registered an opening victory over Bulgaria in the final week of the FIVB Women's Volleyball Nations League preliminary phase.
HONG KONG, June 11 (Xinhua) -- China defeated Bulgaria 3-0 (25-15, 25-12, 25-17) in the FIVB Women's Volleyball Nations League (VNL) here on Tuesday, taking home its first win in the final week of the VNL preliminary phase.
Ranking seventh in the world, China suffered two losses from four games in the previous round in Macao, including one to direct Olympic qualification rivals Japan, making the matches in Hong Kong even more crucial to secure a ticket to the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.
With star spiker Zhu Ting in the starting lineup, China easily took the first and second sets with superior attacking play. Bulgaria stepped up its defense in the third set, but failed to keep the momentum and settled for the loss.
China's middle blocker Wang Yuanyuan and outside hitter Li Yingying both scored a game-high 13 points, followed by captain Yuan Xinyue's 12 and Gong Xiangyu's 10. Zhu added six points, while Bulgaria's Dudova scored a team-high of eight points.
China coach Cai Bin told Xinhua that as the tournament enters the third week, Zhu's physical status is getting better, and he will consider putting her in the starting lineup in the following games.
"We did a good job today with sound preparation. We will prepare well for the coming matches," he said.
In the other game on Tuesday, Dominican Republic beat Germany 3-1. ■
