China edges Cuba 3-2 in women's volleyball tournament
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China came from behind twice to beat Cuba in a five-set thriller at the international women's volleyball tournament on Friday.
With the hard-fought 24-26, 25-17, 22-25, 25-23 and 15-8 victory, the hosts remain unbeaten in the two-leg four-team invitational. The Chinese team defeated the Dominican Republic in straight sets Thursday in the opening round of the Beilun leg after winning the first leg in Zhoushan with three consecutive victories.
"It was indeed a tough battle, but also a good experience for us," said Chinese captain and setter Wei Qiuyue after Friday's match. "The Cubans are superior to us over the net due to their advantage in height."
Despite the defeat, Cuban coach Juan Carlos Gala Rodriguez was also content with his team.
"I am happy with my team because we played very well and much better than our last meeting against China in Zhoushan," said Rodriguez.
The Chinese team crushed Cuba 25-11, 25-11, 25-21 last week in Zhoushan.
This time it was in unforced errors where the teams made the difference. China had 20 errors against 33 for the Cubans.
Yang Junjing, who is making her first international appearance, paced China with 18 points. Hui Ruoqi had 16 points and Xu Yunli 13 points.
Santos Allegne Ynelis won 18 points to lead five Cuban players in double-digit scoring.
"As far as individual ability is concerened, Cuban players are superior to us, especially in spiking. So we need to work hard to improve on this aspect," said Chinese head coach Yu Juemin.
Also on Friday, the Dominican Republic beat the Netherlands 3-1 in the other match.
