LINYI, China, June 13 (Xinhua) -- Less than 20 hours after stunning Poland in a five-set thriller, world No. 6 Japan remained unbeaten in the 2026 FIVB Men's Volleyball Nations League (VNL) by defeating host China 3-1 on Saturday to secure its third consecutive win.
Japan's star outside hitter Ran Takahashi scored a match-high 21 points, including three aces. Captain Yuki Ishikawa added 12 points.
For China, middle blocker Zhang Zhejia impressed with 18 points, while Wang Bin and Peng Shikun contributed 15 and 11 points respectively.
China showcased its advantage at the net in the opening two sets, committing few errors and performing strongly on both offense and defense. However, Japan repeatedly mounted late comebacks to edge the sets 25-23 and 25-22.
China responded strongly in the third set, racing to a 10-2 advantage behind a stunning 9-1 run fueled by quick attacks, electrifying the home crowd. Meanwhile, Japan struggled with unforced errors, conceding five points on serves. China maintained control throughout the set to claim it 25-20.
"Our middle blockers were stronger, so whenever our reception was good or even slightly off, we tried to organize quick attacks," Zhang said after the match. "It's a pity we lost today. We still need to improve the details. At crucial moments, we have to keep putting pressure on our opponents and play freely. If we hesitate, we won't perform well."
China continued to capitalize on its height advantage early in the fourth set and led 14-12. Japan responded immediately with a five-point surge after calling a timeout, tightening both its attack and blocking to close out the set 25-21.
"We gave everything today. We wanted to see where the gap between us and Japan is ahead of the Asian Championship," China captain Yu Yuantai said. "The positive thing is that we never gave up for a single minute. Tomorrow, we'll continue to give it our all."
China head coach Vital Heynen said afterwards that the Chinese side should be patient to get stronger.
"There is no fast way. Of course, I would also like the results to show that Chinese men's volleyball is getting better, but I know there is no shortcut. It always takes a couple of years. You don't build something in one year, so don't ask me tomorrow. You have to look at where we started two years ago and ask: are we getting better or not?"
"We have to learn to be patient. You first have to be happy when we play better. Last year, we could only play well against lower-ranked teams. This year, we are taking a step forward. We played well against Slovenia and Japan. The important thing is to see that we are playing better and better," he added.
Later on Saturday, Slovenia defeated Cuba 3-2, while China will face Cuba on Sunday. ■
