Matsumoto, Japan, August 24, 2015 – USA triumphed over China 3-0 (25-23, 25-17, 25-23) on the third day of the FIVB World Cup at Matsumoto City Gymnasium on Monday.
USA coach Karch Kiraly: Yesterday was a frustrating match for us; Serbia played very well. We were happy to play against a great team with a great coach and great programme. It was the seventh time we played China this year and every battle was difficult for us. The schedule of this tournament can be very difficult; we have 11 challenging matches in 16 days. In other competitions there is a rest day between each match, so it’s a great challenge here and it’s very difficult to get through this tournament without a loss for any team.
USA No. 15 Kimberly Hill: Obviously USA didn’t have the best performance we wanted last night so it was important to come out remembering who we are as USA Volleyball and focusing on our game and our side of the net, and being engaged in every little play – playing one point at a time because China’s a really tough team, a really great team and fun to play against, but we always have to bring 110 per cent and I think we did a good job today. After yesterday, we weren’t trying to change the world. Sometimes we need to fight through and we didn’t really do the best job of it yesterday, but we did today.
China coach Lang Ping: We had fluctuations in our play, especially in the first set. Our block and reception were poor and USA were quick and very fast, and the players couldn’t show their best. In the third set, we had opportunities but didn’t capitalise on them. Our players don’t have enough experience, but this is a good opportunity for them to get experience and the players can learn more. We lost today and need to face up to that and make use of what we learn. It’s the first time for a lot of the players to take part in a big tournament but they can learn and they have the potential to improve.
China captain Zeng Chunlei: I’m sorry we couldn’t win today. We found it very difficult to get into our rhythm. We had opportunities to catch up but couldn’t use them. But today’s match was a good experience for us and I think we were able to learn something for the future.
China No. 1 Yuan Xinyue: Today was very difficult for me. I may be young but I feel I should play an important role in the team, so I need to work on that and try to improve.