VNL 2021

Zhang pounds 36 as China stun Brazil

China captain bags second personal '30+' and second of Day 9 at VNL

Published 04:58, 08 Jun 2021

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Zhang Changning smashes the ball through the Brazil block of Fe Garay and Carol as she scores 36 points for China at the 2021 FIVB Volleyball Nations League.

China captain Zhang Changning battered Brazil with 36 points, Tuesday at the 2021 FIVB Women's Volleyball Nations League, leading her side to a major upset 3-2 (18-25, 25-22, 25-20, 14-25, 15-12) and marking her second entry on the list of players to have scored 30 points or more in a single VNL game.

The 25-year-old opposite collected her points from 32 attacks (32/60 for 53%), two blocks and two aces.

Zhang had previously fired off 37 points in her team's defeat to Belgium, earlier in the tournament - the fifth-best all-time VNL scoring performance.

Her latest achievement came just minutes after Poland's Magdalena Stysiak had delivered a match high of 35 points for Poland against Japan for her own first entry on the list.

It is the sixth time that the 30-point mark is breached at this VNL.

Belgium's Britt Herbots already has two entries in the list after firing off 33 points against the Dominican Republic and 32 points against Korea.

And Nataliya Goncharova became the first Russian on the list with 31 points as she spearheaded a win over the Dominican Republic.

The all-time VNL scoring record of 42 points belongs to Poland's Malwina Smarzek from her team's win in four sets over Bulgaria in 2019.