Hanoi, Vietnam, June 7, 2025 – The inaugural AVC Women’s Nations Cup got underway in grand style at Dong Anh Gymnasium on Saturday, highlighted by Iran’s dramatic 3-2 comeback victory over Indonesia in a thrilling Pool B clash. Kazakhstan, Chinese Taipei, the Philippines and hosts Vietnam also opened their campaigns with commanding straight-set wins.
In Pool B, Iran edged a tightly contested first set 23-25 to the experienced Indonesian squad before rallying to level the match with a 25-23 second-set win.
Indonesia regained control in the third, winning 25-16, but Iran stormed back to take the fourth set 25-19 and sealed the decider 15-12 with a dominant display.
Iran held the upper hand in both blocking (17 to 6) and attacking (65 to 60), showcasing superior balance and firepower. Five Iranian players scored in double figures, led by outside hitters Shaghayegh Hassankhani and Masoumeh Ghadami Tabaghdehi with 16 points apiece. Middle blocker Reyhane Karimi added 15, opposite spiker Sepinood Dastbarjan contributed 14, and middle blocker Zahra Salehi chipped in 11. For Indonesia, outside hitter Ersandrina Devega Salsabila delivered a match-high 25 points, including 24 kills.
Earlier in the same pool, Kazakhstan secured their first victory of the eight-day tournament by sweeping New Zealand 25-15, 25-23, 25-15.
Outside hitter Margarita Belchenko led the charge for Kazakhstan with 12 points from 9 kills and 3 aces. Support came from opposite hitter Tatyana Nikitina and outside hitter Perizat Nurbergenova with 10 and 9 points respectively. The Kazakh defense limited New Zealand’s offense effectively, with no Kiwi player reaching double digits. Opposite hitter Charlton Hunter Vail top-scored for New Zealand with 8 points, including 5 kills from 19 attempts.
The Philippines also opened their campaign with a convincing straight-sets win over Mongolia, 25-18, 25-16, 25-14. The Filipinas were led by the powerful hitting duo of Vanessa Gandler and Angel Anne Canino, last year’s AVC Challenge Cup Best Opposite.
Gandler tallied 16 points from 13 attacks, one block, and two aces, while Canino added 11 points, including 10 attacks. Mongolia’s Saruulgerel Ganbaatar led her team with 13 points.
In Pool A action, Chinese Taipei produced a dominant performance to sweep Australia 25-18, 25-9, 25-20.
Middle blocker Kan Ko-Hui paced the team with 13 points, including 8 kills and 4 aces. Outside hitters Hsu Wan-Yun and Tsai Yu-Chun contributed 10 and 9 points, respectively.
For Australia, middle blocker Anni Tang, outside hitter Cameron Zajer, and Ella Schabort each scored 7 points.
In the day’s last match, hosts and back-to-back AVC Challenge Cup champions Vietnam delighted the home crowd with a sensational 3-0 win over Hong Kong, China (25-16, 25-13, 25-10).
Opposite spiker Hoang Thi Kieu Trinh and outside hitter Nguyen Thi Phuong led the way with 11 points each, both recording 10 kills and one ace. No Hong Kong player reached double digits, with outside hitter Ying Chi Yu scoring 6 points, including 5 kills.
Sunday’s Pool B fixtures will see Kazakhstan take on Mongolia at 10:00am local time, followed by the Philippines vs Indonesia at 12:30pm, and Iran facing New Zealand at 3:00pm. In Pool A, India will make their tournament debut against Hong Kong, China at 5:30pm, while hosts Vietnam will clash with Chinese Taipei in a highly anticipated evening matchup at 8:00pm.
The AVC Women’s Nations Cup plays a crucial role in the Asian volleyball calendar, providing national teams not participating in the FIVB Nations League with opportunities to earn world ranking points and potentially qualify for the top-tier international competition. In addition, the tournament champion will secure a spot at the 2026 Asian Women’s Volleyball Championship, an important qualifier for both the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games and the 2027 FIVB Women’s World Championship.
Watch all matches live on VBTV
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