CHIANG MAI, Thailand, Aug. 23 (Xinhua) -- No major surprises happened after all 32 teams across eight groups debuted at the FIVB Women's Volleyball World Championship in Thailand.
China overcame a slow start to defeat Mexico 22-25, 26-24, 25-10, 25-18 in Group F on Saturday, while its main group rival the Dominican Republic cruised past Colombia in straight sets.
China head coach Zhao Yong said his players were "too tight" in the first two sets. "Fortunately, they held up under pressure in the second set and managed to win it, which was crucial for the match." he said.
Most traditional volleyball powerhouses remained untested in their opening matches. Turkey swept Spain 25-18, 25-20, 25-23, as defending champions Serbia eased past Ukraine 25-21, 25-19, 25-17. Japan swept Cameroon 25-21, 25-17, 25-19, while Poland defeated Vietnam 23-25, 25-10, 25-12, 25-22.
The single round-robin preliminary stage continues on Sunday with the top two teams from each group advancing to the knockout stage. ■
微信扫描下方的二维码阅读本文
