WASHINGTON, July 15 (Xinhua) -- China suffered a straight-sets defeat to the United States in the men's Volleyball Nations League on Wednesday, falling 25-19, 25-13, 25-20 in the opening match of the tournament's third week in Chicago.
World No. 32 China, fielding a youthful lineup amid injury concerns, was unable to match the fifth-ranked United States, which improved to 7-2 and remained second in the standings with the support of the home crowd. China fell to 1-8 and stayed bottom of the table with four points.
The United States held the edge in attack, blocking and serving throughout the match. Outside hitters Cooper Robinson and Ethan Champlin each scored a match-high 14 points, while 20-year-old opposite Cole Hartke added 11.
China offered its strongest resistance in the third set. After trailing 6-2, it rallied to cut the deficit to 9-8 before the United States restored a four-point lead at 13-9. China again closed to within one point at 14-13, prompting the Americans to call a timeout, but the hosts regained control with aggressive serving to complete the sweep.
Outside hitter Li Lei led China with eight points, while middle blockers Wang Changli and Hu Hanlin added seven and six, respectively.
Elsewhere in Chicago, Brazil defeated reigning Olympic champion France 25-23, 25-23, 25-19 to improve to 6-3 and move into the provisional qualification places for the VNL Finals. Defending champion Poland also won in straight sets, beating Bulgaria 25-19, 25-17, 25-17 to improve to 7-2 and strengthen its hold on third place.
The VNL Finals will be held in Ningbo, in eastern China's Zhejiang Province, from July 29 to August 2. As the host nation, China has already qualified automatically. ■
