JAPAN battled back from a set down to beat a gutsy China squad, 24-26, 25-23, 21-25, 25-23, 15-12, in its Manila debut in the 2023 Volleyball Nations League on Tuesday at the Mall of Asia Arena.
After blowing six set points in the opening frame, Japan lost its usual killer instinct and stared at a first loss after a perfect run of nine victories until it somehow dodged a bullet in the deciding fifth set.
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Captain Yuki Ishikawa served up 19 big points on 16 attacks, two blocks, and one ace for the unbeaten Japanese. Kento Miyaura and Ran Takahashi also proved to be formidable attacking pieces with 15 and 14 markers, respectively.
"The first set [loss] was our mistake and we have to find a solution. But in the second set, we changed our mindset and the feeling has been good for us since then," Takahashi said.
"This was an important match for us. We are already in the final [phase] but we have to fight and push harder in our next matches," he added.
Jingyin Zhang paced the Chinese with a game-high 22 points.
China returns to action on Thursday against Slovenia while Japan looks to extend its nine-game win streak against the Netherlands on Friday.
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