Russia beats Italy as fifth week of FIVB World League begins

(BEIJING, July 12) -- The battle for a spot in the final round was fierce on Friday as the FIVB World League kicked off its fifth weekend of competition.

Russia beat Italy 25-27, 25-21, 25-22, 25-20 in a meeting between the top teams in pool B. The Russians came back from a first set loss with improved blocking and more aggressive play. They are now in the top spot with 17 points, while Italy is in second place with 15.

Two matches were played in pool D on Friday night. China beat Egypt 25-18, 25-21, 25-23 and now has 14 points in second place behind Poland, which defeated Japan in four sets. Chinese player Yuan Zhi contributed sharp spikes and strong blocks in the victory. Egypt is at the bottom of the pool with 12 points and a 3-6 record; Japan is in third place with 13 points.

In pool A, Serbia dropped Venezuela to a 1-8 record with a 25-22, 25-23, 25-16 victory. Serbia, which is in third place with a 4-5 record, will try to get back to .500 when they two teams meet again on July 13.

The USA held off a scrappy team from Spain to win 25-19, 25-23, 27-25 in Bloomington, USA, improving their record to a commanding 8-1 at the top pool C. The two teams play again on Sunday.

The intercontinental round of the 2008 FIVB World League concludes next weekend. The final round takes place July 23-27 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.