China Beat Japan in Olympic Volleyball QualifierChina on Wednesday downed hosts Japan in Tokyo to keep themselves alive in the women's volleyball final qualifying tournament for the Olympic Games.The Chinese spikers, who had lost to Italy and the Netherlands, fought off an exciting 123-minute battle for a 23-25, 31-29, 25-17, 25-20 victory. China, 1996 Olympic silver medalists, stood with two wins against two defeats and Japan with a 3-1 win-loss record in the eight-team round robin, which is also the Asian qualifying round. Earlier in the day, Italy moved to within a step of winning a ticket for Sydney after beating Argentina 25-21, 25-22, 25-18 for a fourth straight win. Croatia and South Korea both registered a third win against one defeat. Croatia defeated the Netherlands 16-25, 25-18, 20-25, 25-22, 15- 10, while South Korea nipped Canada 25-15, 25-18, 25-17. On Thursday, China will take on South Korea, while Japan will play Italy. |
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