Over the course of two weeks of play and 66 matches, it ended up that the one that counted most came last Monday (23rd) in Sapporo, Japan.
In a battle of undefeated teams, China dominated the U.S.., winning in straight sets by 25-16, 25-17 and 25-22. And that decided the tournament.
Said China coach Lang Ping: “Each time we play the United States we know it is going to be tough. We tried to keep up with their quick attacks, but my players kept their focus today.”
These were the two best teams in the event, as China won nine of its 11 matches by 3-0 scores; the U.S. had five sweeps and three more matches won by three sets to one. The tournament awards:
● Most Valuable Player: Ting Zhu (CHN)
● Best Setter: Xia Ding (CHN)
● Best Outside Hitters: Ting Zhu (CHN) and Kelsey Robinson (USA)
● Best Middle Blockers: Irina Koroleva (RUS) and Ni Yan (CHN)
● Best Opposite Hitter: Annie Drews (USA)
● Best Libero: Mengjie Wang (CHN)
Serbia’s Ana Bjelica led all scorers at 209 points, followed by Natalya Goncharova (RUS: 208) and Brayelin Martinez (DOM: 197).
China is now the leading winner in this tournament, originated in 1973, with five titles; this year’s win broke a tie with Cuba at four. The U.S. women won a medal for the fifth straight time, finishing 3-3-2-3-2 from 2003 on. Summaries:
FIVB Women’s World Cup
Japan ~ 14-29 September 2019
(Full results here)
Final Standings: 1. China, 32 points (11-0); 2. United States, 28 (10-1); 3. Russia, 23 (8-3); 4. Brazil, 21 (7-4); 5. Japan, 19 (6-5); 6. Korea, 18 (6-5); 7. Dominican Republic, 17 (6-5); 8. Netherlands, 17 (5-6); 9. Serbia, 13 (4-7); 10. Argentina, 5 (2-9); 11. Kenya, 2 (1-10); 12. Cameron, 0 (0-11).
