Korea end first day on a
high note
 Macau,
China, July 23, 2005 - There was a sting in the tail at the
end of an action-packed first day of the Girls' Under 18
World Championship on Saturday.
Two-time defending champions China slipped to a shocking 3-2
defeat at the hands of their great Asian rivals Korea, as
their quest for a "three-peat" began in unexpected fashion.
Korea, playing with power and purpose, silenced the majority
of a ,000-strong crowd at the Macau East Asian Games Dome by
winning the first two sets 25-20, 28-26.
China finally warmed up to the occasion by taking the next
two, both 26-24, but ran out of gas in the decider, losing
15-13.
It was a dramatic end to a dramatic match on a dramatic
first day, which saw eight games held in two venues, plus a
colourful opening ceremony.
In the other match in Pool B, Austria also scored an
unexpected triumph, beating Ukraine 3-2. Ukraine had brushed
aside Austria in straight sets in the European Youth
Championship three months ago, and this had led Austria to
enter the match in a relaxed frame of mind as they were
clearly the underdogs on their debut.
But a game-high 31 points from Dianna Ojo, including 26
spikes, enabled Austria to score a famous victory.
In Pool A, Croatia beat Argentina 3-1 and Egypt had an easy
3-0 win over host Macau.
In Pool C, Belarus won another five-setter, 3-2 against
former champions Russia, while 1997 champs Brazil were too
strong for Puerto Rico, winning in straight sets.
In Pool D there were straight-sets wins for Italy over
Chinese Taipei, and for a tall and talented USA over Tunisia.
But the tournament really came to life for the local fans in
the last match of the day, with Korea getting 29 points from
captain Kim Yeon-Koung to hold off China.
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Competition Formula
