XI'AN - China secured its second consecutive win at the 2025 FIVB Men's Volleyball Nations League Xi'an leg on Saturday, defeating world No. 14 the Netherlands 3-1.

The Netherlands had swept China 3-0 twice in their previous two VNL encounters. After dominating Serbia 3-0 on Thursday, the world's 20th-ranked China had a rest on Friday, while the Netherlands had a tough 3-1 win over Turkey the previous evening.

Netherlands head coach Joel Banks admitted before the clash that his team had limited time to recover. "We went back to the hotel late, and hopefully everyone could relax, but it was 1:30 a.m., we were still working with physio," he said.

Both teams started strong in the opening set, but a string of unforced errors from the Netherlands handed China nine free points. China, by contrast, committed only one error and delivered four aces, ultimately taking the first set 25-19.

The host quickly built a 17-12 lead in the second set and secured it 25-20. The Netherlands responded in the third set, surging ahead after an 8-8 tie with a 10-2 run, and claimed the set 25-13.