Saitama, Japan, November 22, 2006: Pumped-up Puerto Rico beat China 3-1 in the first match of Pool A action at Saitama Super Arena on Wednesday afternoon.
Puerto Rico won 25-17, 25-13, 21-25, 26-24 on their third match point to improve their win-loss record to 2-3 and drop China to the same mark. Puerto Rico jumped above China on points ratio to book their place in the top four.
Even though Puerto Rico's lethal weapon, Hector Soto, was out of sorts in the early stages, southpaw Jose Rivera, Victor Rivera and middle blocker Rene Esteves carried the game to China.
The Caribbean country reached the first TTO ahead 8-6, and China called a TO when that deficit grew to four points. On the resumption of play, China replaced their captain, Sui Shengsheng, with Cui Jianjun to add a bit of youth and muscle to the attack.
Shen Qiong and Tang Miao began to fire on the flanks, adding to the incisive net play of Wang Haichuan, and when Puerto Rico setter Angel Perez pushed one out, his team's lead was cut to 12-10 and they went off for a TO.
Captain Luis Rodriguez helped Puerto Rico stay in front, first with a quick spike at the net and then a block on Wang, and they led 16-13 at the second technical break.
Soto showed his class with a mighty leap on the right and ferocious spike that Shen had no chance of controlling, and Jose Rivera added another clean winner from the left shortly after as Puerto Rico moved ahead 20-15 and sent China into a TO. At 24-17, Jose Rivera finished the first set with another powerful blast from the left on their first set point.
Shen was clearly a marked man early in the second set, and Soto and Esteves turned a couple of his attacks into block points for Puerto Rico, who led 8-5 at the first TTO.
Rodriguez was doing well against the big Chinese middle blockers and, with Victor Rivera in outstanding form, Puerto Rico forged ahead 15-9 and China withdrew a despondent Shen from their attack.
The Puerto Ricans were showing much more fire and determination than a lethargic China team, and Esteves was completely unmarked at the net to score an easy point for 19-11.
China were playing their worst volleyball of the first round, spiking wildly and lacking momentum, and they crumbled to concede the second set 25-13.
Much to the delight of the China supporters, Shen was back in action for the third set and determined to get China back into the match. As China finally put their opponents under pressure, Puerto Rico started making mistakes and trailed by three at the first TTO.
Some bullet serves from captain Sui and forceful net play from Yu Dawei kept China in front, and Puerto Rico needed a TO down 13-9. Although Rodriguez kept piling up the points at the net, his team had lost their way and China were now in control.
Puerto Rico's serving fell apart towards the end of the set, but their block improved to give China a few awkward moments on their way to the third set, 25-21 thanks to a Tang blockbuster on the left.
Puerto Rico regrouped for the fourth set and tried to rediscover the passion from the first two sets, which was not going to be easy against a China team with much more self-belief and confidence compared to the one that had started the game.
A Rodriguez block, a winner down the middle from Enrique Escalante and a Perez tip-over helped them build up a two-point lead at 15-13, but it always looked fragile, especially with Tang threatening to cut loose on China's right flank.
A Guo Peng block on Rodriguez stalled Puerto Rico's progress, and the same player spiked powerfully at the net to move China ahead 21-20, only for the fying Soto to pull his team level.
Thanks to brilliant blocking, Puerto Rico won it on their third match point, 26-24.
