Lausanne, Switzerland, June 13, 2016 – After three matches in Pool A1 of the FIVB World Grand Prix, China came out on top with two 3-0 wins and Sunday’s 3-1 victory over the United States.
China coach Lang Ping tried to downplay any greater significance in the win over USA, but the performance of her team – as in the videos below – shows how she is instilling a fighting spirit in her players. It is a fighting spirit often matched by the Americans, who Lang Ping used to coach.
“I hope my players have gained experience from this week's matches,” Lang Ping said after the USA match. “Although we won the pool, the results don't mean much, because this USA team isn't the full-strength squad. Some of their best players, such as their main setter Alisha Glass, didn't play much today. We should not get carried away by the victory.”
With the Olympic Games only weeks away, any result between these two teams, is going to carry significance. After all, they were the finalists in the FIVB World Championship two years ago, when USA won 3-1.
Both teams will no doubt fine-tune their players and tactics during the World Grand Prix so that they’ll be ready for another tilt at Olympic glory. The videos show how much these matches mean to these two teams and that is only going to intensify over the next couple of months.