China retains the title at 16th Asian Games Women’s Volleyball Championship
The host China successfully defended the title at the 16th Asian Games Women’s Volleyball Championship on Saturday, 27th November, 2010. China defeated Korea in the final encounter by posting 3-2 (21-25, 22-25, 25-10, 25-17, and 16-14).
The Women’s Volleyball Tournament was officially kicked off on November 18 and it rounded off with the final match between China and Korea on November 27. The city of Guangzhou in China had the honour of hosting this wonderful event, which provided the home
team an extra advantage over guest teams.
First set
The start of the match was quite dramatic. The home team started out really well. They produced commanding serves and created a very authentic impression by their 3-point lead. China was the first team to put the scores on board in the first set. The game
progressed and the warm blood ran in veins of Korean players. They fought back and attacked Chinese team with full strength. The delivery of nice shots coupled with good defence enabled them to narrow the gap of points. They were able to take the score 7-8
before the first technical timeout (FTT).
As the play resumed after timeout, the team came up with better strategies. The vital timeout provided them a chance to sit and discuss the weak-points. Anyhow, China was quick to stretch the gap of points, while Thailand also struggled to chase the score.
In the meantime, the score tied at 14-14. China’s team had great rhythm but Korean squad proved to be detractor for them. Korea took full advantage of China’s reception-errors and picked up a lead at 17-16. Afterwards, they continued with hard-hitting and
didn’t allow China to return in the game. Korea finished the first set with better score of 25-21, which left the local spectators in an utter awe.
Second set
The raged up Chinese Team opened the second set with strong hits. However, Kim Yeon Koung and Hwang Youn Doo of Korea formed a good combination and kept the game in their hands. China tried hard to break their tempo but Korea seemed to have to problems in
their strike. They continued with same ferocity in attack and didn’t let China to raise head in the game. China’s head coach called a better substitution for setter, Shen Jingsi, but his plan didn’t work out. Korea remained on the winning course and clawed
its way to second set victory at 25-22. The defeat in two straight sets flabbergasted Chinese team. The local crowd had expected something different from their team but it turned out to be a bitter experience for them to watch their team losing (at least in
the first two sets).
Third set
It became a ‘do or die’ situation for China as they lost two sets in a row. They came strong on Korea in third set and used Xue Ming to stop Korean hitters. China covered every inch of the court and exhibited sensible game. The hard work paid off and China
was able to feel alive once again. They built a strong lead of 18-8 over Korea and put up a great effort to save their reputation. The crowd backed them up by cheering at them. Third set brought success for China and they claimed third set 25-10. On the other
hand, it was a humiliating defeat for Korea as they totally lost momentum in third set.
Fourth set
The victory in third set restored Chinese players’ confidence. They finally found their feet in the game. Li Juan and Wang stormed Korea’s court with ground-breaking shots in the following set. Korea fell down and trailed behind in the score chase. Gradually
the Korean team got under pressure and committed so many mistakes. China earned full advantage and quickly covered the length of fourth set. They ended the fourth set by posting 25-17.
Fifth set
The final set of the game was a great fight between two contenders of gold medal match. Korea started with better score but China fought bravely and covered the deficit. The influential moment came in the match when score tied at 14-14. However, China managed
to push Korea behind and pulled victory by claiming fifth set. They polled 16-14 to dismiss Korea in the last set. China defended the title for fourth consecutive time at the Asian Games.
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