China’s winning streak snapped by ROK

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World No. 1 China suffered a shock straight set defeat against South Korea in their third and final match at the 2018 FIVB Volleyball Nations League. The reigning Olympic champions, who fielded a young squad, committed a slew of errors as they were handed over the upset 25-15, 25-15, 25-13 loss in Beilun, East China.

Chinese coach Lang Ping, however, came up with a bold stand after the stunning defeat and said that she wouldn't take her words back on how she decides to give rookies opportunities, just because of one loss.

“This defeat brought me back to the 2013 Asian Championship where we missed Zhu Ting and let Wang Yimei to fill her shoes. Yes, we did lose a lot and badly at that time, but we also harvested an established team and a bunch of experiences that helped those players a lot,” she remarked.

The South Koreans put up a valiant performance as two heavy hitters, Kim Yeon-koung and Lee Jae-yeong, combined for 32 points with captain Kim making 13 spikes, two blocks and an ace and Lee racking up 14 kills from 33 swings.

South Korean players celebrate after their stunning win over hosts China. /VCG Photo‍

It has been the first win of the South Koreans over their Asian rivals since 2010 while hosts China won their two previous matches against Dominican Republic and Belgium in straight sets.

Twenty-one-year-old Yuan Xinyue was the top scorer for the second match in a row for the home side, finishing on 12 points while wing spiker Liu Xiatong was the next best with seven. Teenage sensation Li Yingying had just five points.

Next week, China will travel to Macao to play against Poland, Serbia and Thailand in Pool 7 while South Korea return home to host Germany, Russia and Italy in Pool 6.

(With input from Xinhua)