XI'AN, China, Oct. 1 (Xinhua) -- Belgium men's national volleyball team beat China 3-1 in the second matchday in Group C of the FIVB Olympic men's volleyball qualifiers here on Sunday.

Belgium took a 5-1 lead in the first set but the hosts narrowed the gap to two points. After some key substitutions, the European powerhouse strengthened their attack and took the set 25-18.

Focusing on serves and settings, China showed gritty qualities to trade points with their opponents from 5-5 to 22-22 in the second set. Affected by the absence of powerful outside hitter Zhang Jingyin, the hosts never stopped their attacking wave and claimed the set 25-22 thanks to Yu Yuantai's consecutive blocks.

Starting with a 3-1 run, Pieter Coolman and Ferre Reggers combined to give the visitors the third set 25-19.

In the crucial fourth set, the exhausted hosts were no longer able to organize an effective defense and made more errors, and their opponents took the set 25-17 to seal their first victory in the tournament.

China will next encounter Mexico on Tuesday.

Top-ranked Poland showed their dominance by smashing Bulgaria 3-0 (26-24, 25-20, 25-21) in just 97 minutes in their second game. Outside hitter Bartosz Bednorz's outstanding performances helped Poland establish an advantage at the beginning of each set.

"We not only want to claim the ticket [to the Paris Olympics] but also fine-tune the team by participating in such a competitive tournament in Xi'an," said Poland coach Nikola Grbic, adding that his team is determined to strive for more wins despite the tight schedule between the European Volleyball Championship and the Olympic qualifiers.

Also on Sunday, the Netherlands breezed past Mexico 3-0 (25-19, 25-19, 25-16), and Canada beat Argentina 3-1 (27-25, 25-22, 23-25, 25-15).

Poland and Canada lead the race to earn Olympic slots with two wins each, while Mexico and China are still looking for their first victory in the qualifiers. Enditem

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