Russia beats US for 1st place at volleyball World Cup

NAGOYA, Japan — Russia moved into first place at the women’s volleyball World Cup by beating the United States 25-17, 31-29, 25-23 Friday.

Tatiana Kosheleva had a team-high 16 points while Yana Shcherban contributed 14 as Russia improved to 8-1. The United States dropped to 7-2.

China overpowered the Dominican Republic 25-16, 25-17, 25-19 and also has an 8-1 record but trails Russia with fewer sets won. Yang Junjing scored 14 points and Zhu Ting added 13 as China won its sixth straight match. The Dominican Republic dropped to 4-5.

China will face Russia on Saturday, the penultimate day of competition at the 12-nation tournament. The Americans take on host Japan.

In other matches, Argentina defeated Peru 16-25, 25-20, 21-25, 25-22, 15-12, while Serbia beat Cuba 25-22, 25-19, 25-15.