The US overpowered China 27-25, 25-20, 16-25, 26-24 to claim their first ever FIVB World Championship title here.
The US, though an acknowledged world power, had never won the World Championship title or any of the three major women's international titles including the Olympic Games and FIVB World Cup before this, Xinhua reported Monday.
They ended the drought thanks to an inspiring team performance led by Kimberly Hill who scored 20 points including the winning one.
"We came here to make history and we made it. It was a tough battle, but we made it," said US coach Karch Kiraly.
His Chinese counterpart Lang Ping blamed her side's loss on fatigue.
"My players' fitness declined sharply after we beat Italy in the semi-final, they were tired," she said.
In the match for bronze, World No.1 Brazil overcame the disappointment of Saturday's semi-final defeat to USA and outlasted hosts Italy 25-15, 25-13, 22-25, 22-25, 15-7.
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