Iran volleyball team humbled by China at worlds

TEHRAN, Nov. 30 (MNA)-- Iran lost to China in straight sets on the third day of third-round action at the 2011 FIVB Men's World Cup on Tuesday. The Persians, who had previously defeated giants Serbia, Poland and Argentina in the competitions, lost to China in straight sets (25-19, 25-19, 25-17) in Fukuoka, Japan. China celebrated its first victory after seven straight losses. Zhi Yuan bagged 17 points for Chinese team, while Weijun Zhong added 16. Zhong was named the most impressive player of the match. Amir Ghafour was the high scorer for Iran with nine points. Iran, whose two previous defeats in the tournament came from Cuba and the U.S., came out flat and never got it going on a day when they committed a high number of unforced errors. "This will be a good experience for the future. The Iran team has improved a lot about mental attitude, but not enough. The mental preparation was not good by our players,” Iran coach Julio Velasco said during a post-match conference. Iran is scheduled to face Brazil on Friday