Olympic and world champion China outlasted Cuba in an intense battle in the 5-8 playoff bracket of the FIVB Women's World Championship in Japan.

Wang Yimei (1) spikes during a volleyball match between China and Cuba on Wednesday, 15, November. [Sportsphoto.cn]

In the extremely close match China won. The scores were 26-24, 25-21, 26-28 and 25-20.

The first set witnessed a seesaw situation. The two teams tied the score at the beginning, until Wang Yimei made two strong ace serves, helping China take the opening set 26-24.

Things stayed close in the second set. Cuba pulled into a 16-14 lead at the second technical timeout, but a series of errors let China come back to win by 25-21.

Led by Daimi Ramirez, the Cubans fought back to take the third set 28-26.

The tight match continued into the fourth set. Leading 21-20, the Chinese women fired four straight points to take an upper hand, as Xu Yunli finished things off with a first-time strike at the net.

China will take on the winner of the match between hosts Japan and the Netherlands in the 5th-6th place competition.

 
 
(Source: CRIENGLISH.com)