China wins in Montreux Volleyball Masters opener

World
Europe

01:28

The indomitable Chinese women's volleyball team started their campaign at the Montreux Volley Masters in Switzerland in style as they notched up an easy 3-0 victory over the home team in their opening Group A game.

China's star campaigners, including Zhu Ting, are resting after the gold medal-winning Asian Games campaign and in preparation for the World Championships to be held later this month in Japan.

The Chinese team, dispatched to the Masters in Switzerland, has been under the guidance of coach An Jiajie, while core players include Gong Xiangyu and Liu Xiaotong have been playing a pivotal role.

China took an 11-7 lead in the first frame, but the Swiss spikers proved to be a strong opponent. With their good passes and heavy spikes, Switzerland leveled one point up and then tied the score at 11. With Liu Xiaotong's consistent spikes, and the opponent blocking the ball wide, China took the first set 25-21 after an intense fight.

China got into the groove in the second set quickly. Diao Linyu was good at passing while Liu Xiaotong's heavy spikes helped the team gain points. Gong Xiangyu's serve posed a great threat to the opponent, and China soon led 6-1.

With a good block at the net, China finally took the second set 25-14. The visiting side continued their dominance in the third set to make it a 10-1 overwhelming lead and eventually took the decisive set 25-10.

China will face Italy in the next match.