Aust volleyballers bounce at Rio qualifier

Captain Tom Edgar has defied pain to steer the Australian men's volleyball team to a 3-1 win over Venezuela at the Olympic qualifiers in Tokyo.

Edgar returned in Sunday's match after missing most of the Volleyroos' opening 3-0 loss to Iran on Saturday due to an abdominal strain.

Despite grimacing in pain at times, he finished with a game-high 22 points.

Boosted by an outstanding blocking display from former captain Aidan Zingel, the Volleyroos fought back after a slow start to win 19-25, 25-20, 25-10, 25-19.

The South Americans made 33 unforced errors to Australia's 16.

"We have to be happy with this result," Volleyroos coach Roberto Santilli said.

"You have to be able to reset from the day before in a tournament like this."

There is a rest day on Monday before Australia take on Canada on Tuesday morning.

The Volleyroos need to be the top-ranked Asian team to guarantee a ticket to the Rio Olympics.