WASHINGTON, July 16 (Xinhua) -- China lost to world No. 8 France in straight sets at the men's Volleyball Nations League in Chicago on Thursday, slipping to its ninth defeat in 10 preliminary-round matches.
France won 25-21, 25-19, 25-20, with its superior attacking efficiency proving decisive. The French side scored 52 attack points, compared with China's 38.
Outside hitter Wang Bin led China with 14 points, while middle blocker Li Yongzhen added 10.
Despite the loss, China coach Vital Heynen took positives from the team's performance while acknowledging the gap to the world's elite.
"We played well today. We defended well, kept the ball alive and fought for every point," Heynen said after the match. "But even when we play a good match, we are still far behind France, who were not at full strength. A match like this makes you realize how big the gap is between China and the top teams in international volleyball."
"There is no magic solution," the Belgian added. "We have a lot of hard work ahead of us, and it won't be solved in a day, a month or even a year. China needs years of hard work to develop top-level players. We have some promising young players, and that's the direction we have to keep working on."
Wang said he was encouraged by the team's defensive improvement.
"I could clearly see the progress we have made in defense, especially in handling off-speed balls, through our training. I'm happy to see the changes the team is making," he said.
China will next face Bulgaria on Friday before taking on Brazil on Sunday, both in Chicago. ■
