Hanoi, Vietnam, June 9, 2025 – As teams vie for crucial victories and valuable world ranking points in the pool round-robin stage of the inaugural AVC Women’s Nations Cup, Kazakhstan and Iran extended their unbeaten runs to three consecutive wins at Dong Anh Gymnasium on Monday.
With hosts and successive two-time AVC Challenge Cup champions Vietnam enjoying a rest day, the spotlight shifted to Pool B, where Kazakhstan and Iran continued to dominate. Kazakhstan swept Indonesia in straight sets, while Iran staged a thrilling comeback to edge past the Philippines in an intriguing five-set battle.
Kazakhstan, having already defeated New Zealand and Mongolia, relied on the experience of captain and veteran outside hitter Sana Anarkulova, who led the team to a decisive 3-0 (25-17, 25-12, 26-24) victory over Indonesia.
Anarkulova spearheaded the offense with 14 points (8 attacks, 4 blocks, 2 aces), supported by three other players in double digits: middle blocker Yuliya Yakimova, and outside hitters Margarita Belchenko and Tatyana Nikitina, who scored 10 points each.
For Indonesia, outside hitter Ersandrina Devega Salsabila was the bright spot, finishing with 12 points—all from attacks.
Kazakhstan’s superiority was evident throughout the match, dominating at the net with 14 blocks to Indonesia’s 2, leading in kills (37 to 31), and capitalizing on Indonesian errors (20 to 14). Indonesia managed to edge Kazakhstan in service aces (6 to 5).
The victory earned Kazakhstan 4.1 world ranking points, raising their total to 124.29 and elevating them to 29th in the global standings. Indonesia dropped to No.63 with 32.45 points.
Meanwhile, Iran overcame a slow start to edge the Philippines in a gripping five-set encounter 16-25, 25-21, 24-26, 25-23, 15-13.
Outside hitter Fatemeh Khalili Chermahini led Iran with 21 points (19 attacks, 2 blocks), while Masoumeh Ghadami Tabaghdehi and Zahra Salehi added 16 and 12 points, respectively.
For the Philippines, standout outside hitter Angel Anne Canino delivered a team-high 20 points in a valiant effort.
With this victory, Iran gained 4.04 points, improving to 55.86 and climbing to No.49 in the world rankings. The Philippines slipped to 51st with 54.40 points.
Elsewhere in Pool B, New Zealand secured their first win of the tournament after outlasting Mongolia in another five-set thriller, 3-2 (25-22, 25-20, 10-25, 20-25, 15-13).
Outside hitter Charlton Hunter Vail led New Zealand’s balanced offense with 16 points (11 attacks), while Elizabeth Hanna (15), Italia Tiatia (13), captain Petra Manderson (10), and Katherine Louise Adamson (10) also contributed significantly.
Mongolia’s attack was driven by outside hitter Enkhnaran Ganbold and opposite hitter Saruulgerel Ganbaatar, both with 18 points, and middle blocker Enkhkhunslen Purevsuren with 12.
The win gave New Zealand 2 world ranking points, maintaining their position at No.47 with 59.51 points. Despite the narrow defeat, Mongolia remained at No.66 with 14.35 points.
In Pool A, Chinese Taipei bounced back from their previous straight-sets loss to Vietnam, defeating Hong Kong, China in dominant fashion, 25-10, 25-8, 25-20.
Middle blocker Kan Ko-Hui was the standout performer for Chinese Taipei with 15 points, while Chen Chieh and Liu Shuang Ling added 9 and 8, respectively. Chinese Taipei’s defense kept Hong Kong, China in check, with no opposing player reaching double digits as captain Yu Ying Chi led with only 5 points.
Chinese Taipei collected 5.65 points, rising to 43rd in the world with 85.52 points, while Hong Kong, China dropped to 63rd with 30.56 points.
In the other Pool A matchup, Australia rallied from a set down to defeat 2024 CAVA Nations League champions India, 3-1 (18-25, 25-20, 25-19, 25-23).
Outside hitter Ella Schabort powered Australia to victory with a match-high 22 points (17 attacks, 4 blocks, 1 ace), supported by Cameron Zajer (14), Emily Heintzelman (10), and Anni Tang (10). Outside hitter Shaalini Saravanan starred for India with 19 points (17 attacks).
Australia’s comeback win earned them 5.8 world ranking points and a four-place jump to No.55 globally. India dropped three positions to No.59.
After three days of pool play, hosts Vietnam and Kazakhstan remain unbeaten to maintain their top spots in Pools A and B with 6 and 9 points, respectively, from two and three consecutive wins.
Tuesday, June 10, will serve as a rest day for recovery, with competition resuming on Wednesday. Australia will face Hong Kong, China at 10:00am local time, followed by marquee matchups including Kazakhstan vs Iran, Philippines vs New Zealand, Indonesia vs Mongolia, and Vietnam vs India.
The AVC Women’s Nations Cup is a vital fixture on the Asian volleyball calendar, providing emerging national teams with opportunities to gain valuable world ranking points and vie for qualification to elite international competitions. Additionally, the champions of the tournament will earn a coveted berth at the 2026 Asian Women’s Volleyball Championship, a key qualifier for both the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games and the 2027 FIVB Women’s World Championship.
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