China felt disappointed with a fourth place finish in the FIVB World Grand Prix earlier this year. They got redemption this week in Japan.

China, the number three ranked team in the world, went 10-1 in tournament play to win their fourth FIVB Women's World Cup. It is their first gold medal in major international play since the 2004 Olympics. 

Last week, it did not look like China was going to make a run at the title. After dominating some lesser opponents early in the tournament, China would get crushed 3 sets to none by the United States, who was entering as the favorite. China followed that up with a shakey 3-1 victory over South Korea, and left Round One with a 4-1 record.

They wouldn't feel any pressure from that moment on.

China didn't drop a single set in Round Two, defeating Cuba, Kenya, and Argentina in dominating fashion, winning 3-0 in every game and never allowing their opponent to get past 20 points in a set during that stretch. They took the lead in the standings entering the third and Final Round, and after winning 3-0 against the Dominican Republic, they were headed into a showdown with the team closest to them in points and standings, Russia. After dropping their first set, China would rally to win the next three sets. Needing a victory to secure the cup, China would defeat the home country Japan, 3 sets to 1, after once again dropping the first set.

The victory gives head coach Lang Ping, a legend in the volleyball world, her first gold medal as a head coach. Ping, who also goes by "Jenny", won two gold medals as a competitor for China back in the 80's. She first coached the Chinese women's team in 1995 and coached the team to silver medals in the 1996 Olympics and 1998 World Championships. Ping left and became the head coach of the United States in 2005, where she guided the team to the silver medal in the 2008 Olympics in her home country. Ping was renamed the coach of China in 2013.

“Jenny makes really good use of her players, every member of this team is very important to China’s victory,” said FIVB Life Honorary President Wei Jizhong. “She has built a united team with great fighting spirits.”

Lang, after the victory, said "Gratitude is the key word. Everybody had to join together to make this happen. We had great support from the Sports Association in China which gave us a good foundation. We can still draw more out of this team. When I took over I told everyone they had to understand world-level volleyball. I instructed them on how to play against that level and brought in new players."

Chinese captain Zeng Chuniei knows that the success of the team moving forward relies on how well the young players adapt to certain situations and how much experienced they received from playing in these high levels competitions. She said after the match "I'm very happy to have won. It was a tough game today. There were ups and downs like a wave. It was a great experience for our young players. We will reflect on this victory."

With the win, China secures a spot into the 2016 Olympics. Brazil, the number two ranked county in the world, was already previously qualified as the host country. Two qualifying spots were up for grabs at the World Cup. 

The surprise story of the World Championships was the United States. Coming off a World Grand Prix championship and entering as the number one team in the world, the US was a heavy favorite to get one of the two Olympic qualifying spots. Surprising losses to Serbia and Russia, however, made it so the US was out of gold medal contention entering the final day. They needed a victory and a Serbia loss in order to receive the final Olympic invite. They would win, but so would Serbia, the surprise team of the tournament. The Serbian Team would win their first ever medal in the World Cup and qualify for the Olympics. They are hoping to improve on their 11th place finish at the 2012 Games in London. 

The US would finish with the bronze. Russia, who was the runner up to the US at the Grand Prix, would finish in fourth place. Host country Japan finished in a disappointing 5th place. Brazil did not compete in the event.