SURABAYA, Indonesia, Aug. 15 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese women's U21 volleyball team on Friday fell short of a semifinal berth at the 2025 FIVB Women's U21 World Championship, suffering a 3-0 (25-23, 25-19, 25-15) defeat to European powerhouse Italy in the quarterfinals.
China started strongly in the opening set, keeping pace with the Italians for much of the game. However, Italy's steady serve reception and efficient attacking allowed them to edge ahead and claim the set.
In the following two sets, Italy established clear superiority in both serving and blocking, producing multiple high-quality scoring plays and executing smooth transitions from defense to counterattack to close out the match in straight sets.
Post-match statistics highlighted Italy's dominance on offense, outscoring China 48-32 in attacking points and leading 9-1 in blocks.
China will face Argentina on Saturday in the playoff round, vying for positions 5 through 8.
Elsewhere in the quarterfinals, Brazil displayed its strength with a commanding 3-0 win over Argentina, Bulgaria outlasted Poland 3-1 in a four-set battle, and Japan secured its semifinal spot with a solid 3-0 victory over Türkiye. ■
