Brazil beats China in four sets on third day of FIVB Grand Prix final round

(BEIJING, July 11) -- World No. 1 Brazil beat China 25-18, 25-16, 21-25, 25-18, on Friday on the third day of the FIVB Grand Prix final round in Yokohama, Japan. The Brazilians are now 3-0 in the final round, while China drops to 0-3.

Brazil used powerful spikes and solid defense to easily win the first set. The second set started evenly, but China was unable to hold off the Brazilian attack, falling two sets behind in the match.

The Chinese team cut the deficit in half in the third set, altering their attack and getting points off good work by Ma Yunwen at the net. China pulled ahead after a 19-19 tie and won the set 25-21.

But the Brazilians bounced back from their first dropped set of the final round with a potent and flexible attack that overwhelmed the Chinese team and closed out the match.

The victory sets up a battle of undefeated teams on Saturday between Brazil and Cuba, which defeated the USA in a stunning five-set comeback on Friday. China’s 0-3 record effectively takes the team out of contention to win the Grand Prix.

“Brazil played a very stable game, and is a high-level team,” said Chinese head coach Chen Zhonghe, “We made a bad start. For the Olympic Games we are going to play against excellent teams from around the world, so we have to solve the problems we still have.”