China's Zhang Jingyin scores a point. Pic: Volleyballworld
Doha, Qatar: Asian volleyball heavyweights Qatar will begin their quest for the 2024 FIVB Volleyball Challenger Cup crown when they take on Africa’s top-ranked team Egypt in the quarter-finals in China today.
The high-profile spike contest which is also a qualifying tournament for next year’s FIVB Volleyball Nations League, kicked off at the Eastern Chinese city of Linyi in the Shandong Province yesterday.
The opening day saw hosts China and European powerhouse Belgium both recording victories to advance to the semi-finals.
China had no issues downing Mexico 3-0 (25-23, 25-17, 25-23) to claim the first spot in the semis as they look to book a place in the Nations League following previous appearances in 2018, 2019, 2021 and 2022.
Outside hitter Zhang Jingyin led China’s attack against Mexico in the eighty-minute-long contest in which he emerged as the top scorer with 19 points. His teammate Wang Jingyi also shone, scoring 13 points.
“The key for us today was focusing on our defense. We did great teamwork during the match and that helped us come back in the first set. This was just our first step in the Challenger Cup. We want to go back to the VNL and will do everything we can to achieve this goal,” Jingyin told Volleyballworld after the match.
In the second quarterfinal duel of the opening day, Belgium got payback against Croatia after losing to their opponents in the European Golden League less than two months ago and moved forward with a dramatic 3-2 (25-20, 25-18, 22-25, 15-25, 15-13) victory.
Seppe Rotty played a key role in Belgium’s win, scoring 24 points, while Ferre Reggers (18) and Pierre Perrin (15) also made valuable contributions for the winner.
Today, Ukraine and Chile will square off in the third quarter-final ahead of the tie between Camilo Andres Soto-coached Qatar and Egypt.
If Qatar manage to get past Egypt, they will take on China in tomorrow’s semi-final. On July 7 - the final day - classification match for the third place is scheduled with the tournament culminating with the title clash at 7:00 am Qatar time.
