Tehran, Iran, August 18, 2022 – Mighty China came out in full force to whip the Kuwaitis in comfortable affair 25-15, 25-19, 25-12 in their last Pool A match on Day 4 of the 14th Asian Men’s U18 Volleyball Championship at the Federation Hall on Thursday.
China got off to a great start in the first set, shining through their combination attacks and scintillating blocks. Kuwait responded well defensively but still lost their communications, allowing the Chinese attacking opportunities.
China went on their aggression to methodically tear the Kuwaiti defence with powerful attacks and terrific jump serves. However, Kuwait tried hard to get their good show back on track, but their efforts did not pay off dividends as the Chinese tightened their defence and cornered the rivals with relentless attacks. Despite a brave fight, Kuwait found the going gets tough, while China cruised on to win the easy set 25-15.
Both sides fought tooth and nail in the second set, which saw the scores levelled at 9-9. Nevertheless, China proved a cut above the oppositions, with powerful Gao Yuning unleashing a barrage of thundering spikes which several times went unanswered. At the final stretch, China rolled on their rhythm to take a three-point clear at 19-16 and never looked back since then to win the thrilling set 25-19.
The rhythm was with the Chinese in the third set when they surged into an early lead with a five-point clear at 8-3. They preserved their composure and attacked aggressively to bag some crucial points, utilising their height advantage and incredible power at the net to widen the lead to 16-9. As Kuwait dropped from their best, the Chinese marched on their consistency and confidence to foil the rivals’ scoring attempts and eventually captured the completely lopsided set 25-12.
Gao Yuning chipped in with 14 points from 11 attacks and a team-leading 3 blocks for China, while Ren Guangzhen added 12 points from attack hits. No one scored double digits for Kuwait, with captain Ahmad Almutairi bagging 7 points.
“Kuwait are a very strong team, and as I talked to the coach of this team, we are not ready yet. We will do our best for the next game, which is against Korea. We cannot predict how that game will look like, but we will try our best,” Gong Zaifeng, head coach of China, said.
China will take on Korea, while Kuwait will be pitted against Japan on Saturday in the cross quarterfinals.
Related links of AVC
AVC Website: click www.asianvolleyball.net
AVC Facebook: click www.Facebook.com/AsianVolleyballConfederation
AVC Twitter: click: www.twitter.com/AsianVolleyball
AVC Instagram: click: https://www.instagram.com/avcvolley/?hl=en
AVC Youtube: click: Asian Volleyball Confederation
AVC WeChat: Asian Volleyball Confederation