Nagoya, Japan, September 5, 2005 – Three-time World Cup winners China were only one step away from their fourth World Cup title after holding off Russia 3-1 (25-23, 25-15, 23-25, 25-20) here Saturday afternoon.
One win over Japan in Sunday’s last round match of the 12-team round robin tournament will secure China’s first World Cup title since 2003 and a berth in next year’s Rio Olympic Games.
Incredible blocking performance helped the Chinese women prevail in the high-profile clash. Zhu Ting had 21 kills and 7 blocks to lead the Chinese scoring with 29 points. The Most Impressive Player award went to Zeng Chunlei, who had 13 points. China outblocked Russia 21-16.
Tatiana Kosheleva notched up 24 points for Russia, who had their hope of qualifying for the Rio Olympic Games as top two World Cup finishers diminished after slipping to an 8-2 win-loss record.