The Brazilian women's volley team stands on the stage with their medals at the award ceremony after the game against China, in the Macau tour of 2008 FIVB World Grand Prix, Sunday, July 6, 2008. [Photo: Xinhua]
The Brazilian women's volleyball team scored their third straight victory in the 2008 FIVB World Grand Prix, beating China 3-0 for the title of the Macau tour on Sunday.
Brazil's victory ended China's flawless streak of 7 wins starting from match 1 of the tournament. The South American team conquered China with 25-21, 25-17, 25-20 with fluently organized attacks and a superior defense.
In the first section of the game the two sides were neck and neck with almost even chances of strikes and counterattacks, until Brazil snatched a critical set point taking it 25-21.
China then started to lag behind Brazil in the second section. The defeat of the first part seemed to affect the Chinese players psychologically, prompting increasing misplays and allowing Brazil to cruise to a second victory.
The Brazilian team continued their lead advantage in the third section, beating China 25-20 despite strong efforts by Chinese players to stage a comeback.
In another battle, Dominican Republic beat Japan 3-0, taking third place after Brazil and China in the Macau tour.
According to the ranking based on all the matches played, China, Brazil and Japan qualified for the finals of the 2008 FIVB World Grand Prix, due to kick off in Japan's Yokohama on July 9.