Japan saw its hopes of an Olympic berth all but dashed Sunday when it suffered its third straight loss in a 3-0 drubbing by Venezuela in men's World Cup volleyball.
The Japanese team had won its first three games of the tourney, but had no answers for its Venezuelan opponent as it fell 25-20, 25-18, 25-23 at Marine Messe Fukuoka.
Japan is now 3-3 at the 12-nation tournament while Olympic champion Serbia and Montenegro and Brazil remain undefeated with 6-0 records.
The United States and Italy, both 5-1, moved a step closer toward Olympic qualification, with 3-0 victories over Tunisia and Canada, respectively.