The Australian men's volleyball team has shown glimpses of great form en route to a straight sets loss against Russia at the World Cup in Japan.
The Volleyroos looked out of the first set at 18-13 down but staged a hard-fought comeback to eventually hold two set points at 24-22 in Toyama.
But the Australians on Wednesday were unable to finish off the highly-regarded Russians eventually losing the set 26-24.
The Russians then took control of the match to win 26-24, 25-16, 25-18.
Three days ago the Volleyroos gave up two match points against Canada and captain Tom Edgar says the team needs to learn how to put sides away.
"We started the game very well but just at the important moments we had a few lapses, but there are a lot of positives to be taken out of this match," Edgar said.
"You can't train or simulate playing a team like Russia.
"They're so big and so powerful, and they play well on serve and block. They played very clinically."
Coach Roberto Santilli said despite the scoreline there were good signs for his young team.
"We played very well in the first set and of course we got some aces from the Russian service," he said.
"They serve very fast, but this is normal. They made the difference at the end."
Australia takes on Argentina on Thursday and Poland on Friday, before moving to Tokyo for the final three matches of the tournament.
The Volleyroos have one win so far from their first six matches.
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