NAGOYA, Japan, Oct. 13 (Xinhua) -- Chinese volleyball coach Lang Ping said at a press conference here Saturday that she hopes her team will bring their best to the upcoming matches in the third round of the FIVB Volleyball Women's World Championship.
China will play against the United States on Sunday and the Netherlands on Tuesday in their Pool H matches, and the top two Pool H teams will advance to the semifinals, along with the top two Pool G teams.
"I hope our team can bring out their best in the matches. I know all the teams playing here are very strong, and I hope our team can perform well and improve ourselves through the matches," said Lang.
The United States and the Netherlands are both old rivals of China. China advanced to the third round of the tournament after beating the United States 3-0 in Pool F, while the Netherlands entered the third round atop Pool E.
"I'm proud of my team and my staff, but we are not done yet. We have two traditional superpowers of volleyball in our pool. There is no doubt in my mind we are ready for the challenge in front of us," said Jamie Morrison, coach of the Netherlands.
US coach Karch Kiraly also said that his team "are ready for the challenges in the next few matches."
"This (The World Championship) is the most difficult major international event to win, because the best teams are here," he said.
In Pool G, Italy, Japan and Serbia will fight for the two tickets to the semifinals.
The 2018 FIVB Volleyball Women's World Championship kicked off on Sept. 29. During the first round of the tournament that ran through Oct. 4, the 24 participating teams played in four groups and the top four teams of each group advanced to the second round.
The 16 teams in the second round played in two groups and the top three teams of each group advanced to the third round.
