China aiming to regain past glory

Even with the core of the Olympic gold medal squad under her command, Team China head coach Lang Ping is cautious about predicting an end to the nation's 32-year title drought at the Volleyball Women's World Championship in Japan.

Having regained its international status by winning at the 2016 Rio Olympics, Team China arrived in Sapporo on Tuesday with hefty expectations of winning the FIVB title for the first time since 1986.

The 14-member squad for the quadrennial tournament includes eight players from the Olympic team in Rio, including star spiker Zhu Ting, fan favorite Zhang Changning and middle blocker Yuan Xinyue, who have all blossomed into world-class players.