MACAO, China, July 21 (Xinhua) -- China women's volleyball head coach Zhao Yong said on Tuesday that his team is in good condition and will be fully prepared for the 2026 Volleyball Nations League (VNL) Finals, which begin in Macao on Wednesday.
"The team went through some ups and downs during the Hong Kong, China leg, which I believe is a necessary process for young players to grow," Zhao said at a press conference.
The eight-team Finals will run from Wednesday to Sunday at the Macao East Asian Games Dome, featuring China, Brazil, Türkiye, Canada, Japan, the Netherlands, the United States and Italy.
China will face the United States in the quarterfinals on Thursday. Captain Gong Xiangyu said the team had made positive adjustments over the past week.
"We hope to perform well in the upcoming matches and will give 100 percent to challenge our opponents," she said.
Defending champion Italy will meet the Netherlands on Wednesday. Italy head coach Julio Velasco said his team would focus solely on its next opponent rather than past achievements.
"We don't care about the continuity of victories. We think only about the Netherlands, and after that, we think about the next match," he said. ■
