The Asians deliver a great performance to upset the reigning champions in their first match in Paris
China had a strong start to their Olympic campaign in Pool A
The United States’ journey to defend their women’s volleyball Olympic title at the Paris 2024 Games hit a roadblock right at its start as the Americans were downed by China in the tie-breaker in their first match in the tournament, on Monday, at the South Paris Arena 1.
In a match reuniting the last two Olympic champions, the Asians had a better start, saw the Americans return to the game and delivered in the fifth set to secure an important 3-2 (25-20, 25-19, 17-25, 20-25, 15-13) victory in Pool A.
The two points earned with the result place the Chinese temporally in first place in the pool standings – Serbia and France will make their debuts later on Monday, at 21:00 local time (19:00 GMT). The Americans got one point in the match.
China’s third consecutive victory over the Americans also made the teams switch places in the FIVB World Rankings, with the Asians moving up to fifth place (348.65) points and the Olympic champions going down to sixth (342.34).
Li Yingying was a key piece in the Chinese offense
China relied on their strong outside hitter duo to get the points they needed to beat the Americans as left-handed Li Yingying tallied 26 while Rio 2016 Olympic champion Zhu Ting added another 17.
The most consistent American player on the court, opposite Annie Drews led all scorers with 29 points. Outside hitter Avery Skinner had a solid game off the bench, ending the match with 17.
China’s victory was built from their efficiency as the Asians delivered just 11 points to their opponents in errors, while the Americans did the same 21 times. It was a close match in every other area of the game, with the Americans leading in kills (74 to 68) and aces (six to one) and the Chinese having the edge in blocks (12 to 11).
Women’s tournament resumes on Wednesday
No women’s matches will be held on Tuesday, with the tournament resuming on Wednesday, when the Americans meet Serbia at 17:00 local time (15:00 GMT) and Poland battle Kenya at 21:00 local time (19:00 GMT). China’s next match will be against hosts France on August 2.
Paris 2024 – Match Schedule and Results
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