1-3! 3-1! A wild night in women's volleyball: six of the quarterfinal spots decided, China eliminated, Brazil advances with a comeback

On September 1st Beijing time, two matches in the women's volleyball World Championship round of 16 ended, with China unexpectedly falling 1-3 to the low-ranked France, and Brazil overturning a deficit to beat the Dominican Republic 3-1. This means six quarterfinal spots have been filled by Netherlands, Japan, Italy, Poland, the surprising France, and Brazil!

China versus France. This World Championship featured a renewed Chinese team eager to perform well. Despite some challenges in the group stage, they topped their pool. Facing France in the round of 16, we expected an easy win, but the reality was harsh. The rapidly improving French team made China visibly tense. Without a strong main attacker, China quickly lost two sets and fell behind. Although they fought hard to save one set, the fourth set saw them on the defensive again, ultimately losing 1-3 in a shocking upset. This result reveals the failure of the newly formed Chinese team, which underperformed in this crucial test, missing the quarterfinals for the first time in four editions. Currently, China’s biggest issues are ineffective attacks, weak blocking, lack of serve pressure, and unstable reception. The defeat is understandable but the manner of the loss is hard to accept!

Brazil versus the Dominican Republic. In the group stage, Brazil once trailed France 0-2 but relied on their strong foundation to rally and win three straight sets, finishing first in their group. In the round of 16 against the Dominican Republic, Brazil started slowly, unfamiliar with their opponent’s rhythm and got caught off guard. However, Brazil quickly adapted, organizing a powerful multi-point offense and dominated by winning three consecutive sets, overturning the score 3-1. They avoided an upset and advanced confidently to the quarterfinals. Brazil’s consistency is impressive!

With six quarterfinalists decided, the upcoming quarterfinals will feature Japan vs. Netherlands, a clash between world number one and three; Poland challenging Italy; Brazil and France facing off again in a rematch; and two remaining spots still open. Let’s stay tuned!

Written by / Sports Novel