HANGZHOU: The 2023 FIVB Volleyball Women’s Club World Championship started here on Wednesday, as Tianjin Bohai Bank beat Brazil’s Gerdau Minas of Belo Horizonte in straight sets.
Minas jumped 9-4 ahead in the opening set before Tianjin leveled the scores at 15-15. Although Minas built a three-point lead in the middle of the set, Chinese internationals Yuan Xinyue and Li Yingying earned six points in a row, helping Tianjin win the set 25-22.
The confident Chinese easily won the following two sets with scores of 25-16 and 25-20, securing their second victory in the history of the Club World Championships.
Li Yingying earned a match-high 19 points, including two aces and a kill block. Wang Yizhu and Yuan Xinyue contributed 11 and 10 points respectively. Julia Gambatto Kudiess of Minas added 12 points.
Four-time club world champions Türkiye’s VakifBank Spor Kulubu of Istanbul thrashed Vietnam’s Sport Center I Women’s Club of Hanoi 3-0 in the opener.
