Olympic champions China gave some signs of recovery on their defending road by winning the sixth straight match over Cuba in the women's volleyball friendly series between the two teams in Hangzhou, east China's Zhejiang Province on Sunday.

China's Zhou Suhong (Center) saves the ball during the sixth game of Sino-Cuban women's volleyball friendly series in Hangzhou of East China's Zhejiang Province March 2, 2008. The host team won 25-19, 25-23, 22-25, 25-19.

In a roaring Hangzhou Huanglong Sports Center, the Chinese team cut a figure again by claiming a 25-19, 25-23, 22-25, 25-19 triumph over the out-of-sorts Cuban team in one hour and 40 minutes.

To shape up the Olympic squad, head coach Chen Zhonghe rested leading scorers Zhao Ruirui, Yang Hao and setter Fengt Kun, sending a starting lineup fearuring spiker Li Juan, Ma Yunwen and Wei Qiuyue.

Spiker Li led the Chinese team with 14 points while middle blocker Xue Ming was also in superb form scoring 10 points. Wang Yimei and Ma Yunwen added 9 and 10 separately.

The series, which featured six games in as many cities in southeast China's Fujian Province and east China's Zhejiang Province between February 24 to March 2, were the first formal occasion in which the Olympic champions demonstrated their prep work towards the upcoming Beijing Olympics.

After taking back its first Olympic title in Athens in 20 years, the Chinese team was troubled by some major injuries, resulting in a slump in form over the past few years.

The team had suffered a string of losses to lowly ranked teams and finished in a remote fifth place in the 2006 world championships before dropping the Asian championships trophy the following year.

(Xinhua News Agency March 3, 2008)