In a nail-biting match at the FIVB Women’s Nations League in south China’s Hong Kong Special Administrative Region on Thursday, China edged out Bulgaria with a 3-2 victory. The win marks China’s second consecutive triumph in this leg of the tournament.
The Chinese team came out strong in the first set, capitalizing on early errors by Bulgaria to take the lead. Star player Wu Mengjie was in exceptional form, sealing the opener at 25-21.
However, the momentum shifted in the second set as China struggled with unforced errors. Falling behind 7-1, the deficit widened to 11-2. Despite Wu’s efforts to close the gap, Bulgaria took the set 25-22, leveling the match.
China regrouped in the third set, establishing a solid 9-6 lead before extending it to 18-8. They dominated to secure the set 25-15. The fourth set was intensely competitive, with China holding two match points at 24-22. Yet, Bulgaria fought back, scoring four consecutive points to win the set 26-24 and force a decider.
The final set saw Bulgaria start strong with a 5-2 advantage. Once again, Wu Mengjie proved pivotal, delivering powerful attacks to tie the scores at 7-7 and later at 12-12. Facing a match point, Wu executed a crucial spike to keep China in contention. She then led her team to clinch three straight points, securing the set 16-14 and the match 3-2.
Wu Mengjie stood out with a staggering match-high of 32 points, propelling China to a perfect two-for-two record in this leg. The team is set to face their long-time rivals, Japan, on Saturday.
