China swept Canada 3-0 (25-16, 25-22, 25-18) in the women’s sitting volleyball semifinals at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games in North Paris Arena on Thursday, led by captain Xu Yixiao’s stellar performance. The victory sets up a fifth consecutive Paralympic final showdown with the United States, where China will aim for their record fourth gold medal.
Xu was the standout player, leading all scorers with 17 points, including 10 attacks, four blocks, and three aces. Tang Xuemei contributed 12 points, while Zhang Lijun added 10. On the Canadian side, Sarah Melenka top-scored with 12 points, while Danielle Ellis and Heidi Peters both chipped in with 11.
The match began with Xu making an immediate impact, blocking Canada’s captain Ellis to open the scoring. China quickly established a 9-3 lead, with contributions from all their players, showcasing a well-rounded attack. Canada, led by Ellis and Julie Kozun, tried to stay in the contest and cut the lead to 10-7. However, China continued to apply pressure, and with their balanced offensive approach, they widened the gap to 24-15. Despite Ellis saving one set point, a service error from Melenka handed China the set at 25-16.
China carried their momentum into the second set, with Xu and Tang Xuemei taking control early on. Canada briefly responded, with Peters leading a service run that reduced the Chinese lead to 7-5. Nevertheless, China’s strategy of spreading the ball to different attackers kept the Canadian defence on the back foot, allowing them to extend the lead to 14-10. A string of Chinese errors gave Canada hope as they closed the gap to 24-22, but Tang’s powerful spike ended the set 25-22, giving China a two-set advantage.
In the third set, Xu once again opened the scoring, breaking through Canada’s defence. Although China took an early lead, the Canadians fought hard, eventually equalising at 15-15 after Kozun landed an ace. Xu stepped up at a critical moment, while back-to-back Canadian errors forced coach Nicole Ban to call a timeout with the score at 13-10. Ellis kept the fight alive, cutting the lead to 15-14, and Kozun’s ace levelled the score at 15-15. Both teams traded attacks in a tense exchange, but it was China that gained a crucial two-point edge at 19-17, thanks to Tang’s attacks. Xu continued her dominant play, helping China build a 22-17 lead and setting up match point at 24-18. Wang Yanan delivered the final blow, closing the set and match 25-18.
Photo: WPV/Sinisa Kanizaj.
