Players of China celebrate after scoring in the FIVB Volleyball Women's World Championship match against Belgium in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, October 9, 2022. /CFP
China swept Belgium 3-0 (25-18, 25-18, 27-25) in their last match in the second phase in Pool E at the FIVB Volleyball Women's World Championship in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, on Sunday.
China have secured a berth for the quarterfinals, but they will need to wait for the result between Japan and the Netherlands to find out who they will play against in the next phase. It will be either Italy or Brazil, both of whom beat China in the previous matches at the tournament.
The first set began with a 4-4 draw. After that, Wang Yunlu and Li Yingying both served well to help China score continuously and lead 14-9. Though Belgium called their second timeout and changed the rotation multiple times to secure a foothold, the team couldn't stop China's good momentum and lost the first set.
Wang Yunlu of China spikes in the FIVB Volleyball Women's World Championship match against Belgium in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, October 9, 2022. /CFP
The second set began with ties as well from 4-4 to 6-6. This time, Yuan Xinyue became China's icebreaker as she led the team's offense with sharp serves. Though Belgium cut their deficit to the chasable level several times, China had a 6-1 run at the end of this set to win it and extend their lead to 2-0.
The third set was the closest competition in this match. The two sides exchanged the lead multiple times and China didn't lead by over three points even once. In the end, Wang scored the final point for China with a serve to seal the deal.