China Women's team sweeps series against Cuba

 

HANGZHOU, China, March 4, 2008 - Olympic Champions China gave some signs of recovery on the road to Beijing by winning their sixth straight match over Cuba in the Women's Volleyball friendly series between the two teams in Hangzhou, east China's Zhejiang province, last Sunday.

 

In the roaring Hangzhou Huanglong Sports Center, the Chinese team were in good form in claiming a 25-19, 25-23, 22-25, 25-19 victory over the out-of-sorts Cuban team in one hour and 40 minutes.

 

To shape up the Olympic squad, head coach Chen Zhonghe rested leading scorers Zhao Ruirui, Yang Hao and setter Feng Kun, sending out a starting lineup featuring spiker Li Juan, Ma Yunwen and Wei Qiuyue.

 

In the first match in Fuzhou, the Chinese, blitzed the Cubans 25-18, 25-22, 25-12 in about an hour and kept the momentum going by winning 25-19, 25-20, 25-17 in Jinjiang also in one hour.

 

Then in Xiamen, host China came from behind to win 25-23, 19-25, 23-25, 25-18, 15-11 in almost two hours. The Chinese took the fourth match in one hour and 20 minutes by score of 25-22, 25-17, 25-19.

 

The fifth match played in Shaoxing, finished in one hour and 15 minutes with China taking a 25-21, 25-15, 25-17 victory.

 

Both Cuban and Chinese teams have heavy schedules in preparation for Beijing as they attempt to secure a top-three finish.

After the tour in China, the Cuban squad will fly to Russia for more practice and matches against strong European teams. The NORCECA Continental Champions will then fly back to Cuba to participate in the Cuban Sport Olympiad in April in the city of Sancti Spiritus.

 

The Cubans will also participate in the International Women's Volleyball Tournament held in China, the Montreux Volley Masters in Switzerland, the Pan-American Cup in Baja California, Mexico, and the FIVB World Grand Prix.