SAPPORO, Japan, Oct. 3 (Xinhua) -- China coach Lang Ping said Wednesday that the Chinese team "made too many uncalled-for mistakes" after the team recovered from a sloppy start to edge Bulgaria 3-1 at the FIVB Volleyball Women's World Championship here.
China beat their opponents in straight sets in all of the previous three Pool B games, but suffered their first set loss in the tournament Wednesday against Bulgaria.
"We were prepared for a tough game, because we knew Bulgaria are a strong team. But we lost the first set mainly because of ourselves. We made too many uncalled-for mistakes," Lang said after the game.
China managed to come back, but the second set wasn't actually an uneventful one, and China only sealed the victory with three straight points after a 22-22 tie. "We didn't find our rhythm. The Bulgarians also did well in blocks, and we were a little impatient when we failed to score with a kill," Lang said.
China will play Italy in their last Pool B match on Thursday. The two teams, both with four straight wins, will fight for the top spot of Pool B.
Lang said that Italy are a well-rounded team, with both good attacks and solid defense. "I hope we could win every game. Winning is our goal, and what we need to think about is how to win," she said.
