SERBIA claimed the title for the first time in history at the Volleyball Women’s World Championship after edging Italy 3-2 in Yokohama, Japan, on Saturday, while China hammered the Netherlands in straight sets to get bronze.

The game Saturday was the second encounter between Serbia and Italy in the tournament this year, with Serbia beating Italy 3-1 in the previous match.

But it was Italy that took the initiative in Saturday’s game and led 13-10 on a spike by star blocker Paola Egonu in the opening set. Serbia managed to level at 18-18, but Italy, apparently on fire, got the set point first and settled home 25-21.

Serbia came back in the second set and entered the first technical timeout leading 8-6. Despite Italy’s efforts, Serbia further enlarged the margin to take the set 25-14.

It is the first time that Serbia, ranked third in the world, has won the FIVB Volleyball Women’s World Championship.

In an earlier game, China defeated the Netherlands in straight sets to claim the bronze. The match finished with a scoreline of 25-22, 25-19, 25-14.

“We have achieved a lot here and the biggest gain was that by playing against strong teams, we gathered experiences. We could also feel the development of the world’s volleyball level,” said China coach Lang Ping after the match.

China won two titles at the FIVB Volleyball Women’s World Championship in 1982 and 1986.(Xinhua)