DPR Korea beat Korea to claim bronze
Hong Kong, August 18, 2024 – Curtains came down on the 2024 Asian Eastern Zonal Women’s Volleyball Championship at the Queen Elizabeth Stadium here on Sunday, as China avenged the loss in the pool play with stunning straight-set victory over Japan in the much-anticipated final showdown to underline their domination over the six-day championship.
China went down in hard-fought five-set thriller to Japan in their preliminary Pool B clash on Thursday and looked set to avenge the tough opponents in the showdown.
On Sunday, China came out in full force to power past Japan in well-fought straight sets 25-19, 25-22, 25-19 to be crowned the eventual champions.
In their rematch on Sunday, both China and Japan were matched evenly. However, opposite Fan Boning and middle blocker Wang Aoqian of China excelled in blocking and attacking to register 18 and 15 points respectively to help lift the team’s straight-set victory over the formidable Japanese.
In the third-place playoff clash, outside hitter Jong Jin Sim of DPR Korea performed outstandingly against Korea. The powerful hitter was on fire as she scored a match-high 23 points to steer DPR Korea to repeatedly beat Korea 3-1 (20-25, 25-22, 25-20, 25-23) and secured bronze medal. DPR Korea had already beaten Korea 3-1 in their first Pool A clash earlier.
In classification matches, Hong Kong, China did not perform well in the first two sets against Chinese Taipei in the 5th-6th playoff clash. Although they showed a strong comeback with five points in a row to narrow the gap 22-23 in the third set, their defence was a far cry from finish. Chinese Taipei continued their good run to cruise past the host side in straight sets 25-17, 25-15, 25-23 for the fifth place. Hong Kong, China had to be content with the sixth position.
After the match, Hong Kong, China’s setter Fung Tsz Yan, who scored three consecutive points through her great serves in the third set, said, “I didn’t think too much. I just focused on targeting their outside hitter, hoping to disrupt their attacks. After acing the first serve, I gained confidence and continued to target their outside hitter, thereby scoring consecutively.”
The day’s first match between Mongolia and Macau, China earlier saw the former shrug off the first-set rust to outperform the latter with their smart strategy and strong attacks to pull off comeback 3-1 (24-26, 25-19, 25-13, 25-17) win to come in seventh place. Macau,…
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