Hong Kong, August 15, 2024 – Formidable Japan stunned China in hard-fought five-set thriller to top Group B in the 2024 Asian Eastern Zonal Women‘s Volleyball Championship, which concluded its group round-robin preliminaries on Thursday at the Queen Elizabeth Stadium.
Japan, which had already outplayed Macau, China and Chinese Taipei in their first two matches, made a clean sweep on Thursday following their dramatic 3-2 win (25-20, 20-25, 24-26, 25-23, 15-11) against China in their last preliminary encounter.
In Group A, Hong Kong, China faced tough competition from DPR Korea to go down tamely 1-3 (14-25, 16-25, 25-23, 14-25) and finished third place in the group stage. They will later fight it out with Macau, China in the ranking match.
Both China and Japan entered this match with two consecutive wins, and the exciting contest lived up to expectations. Japan won the first set with remarkable defence and skillful attack. Some Chinese players were part of the squad which captured the Asian Women’s U20 Championship including Guo Xiangling, who scored a match-high 22 points in this match, helping the team win the next two sets and take the lead. However, Japan fought back hard to successfully take the fourth set.
In the tiebreaker, they were tied for several times until 9-9 when Japan established an advantage by scoring three points in a row and eventually winning by the score 15-11, ending the tough match on high note 3-2 (25-20, 20-25, 24-26, 25-23, 15-11).
Following the win, Japan claimed the Group B top spot to set up a clash with Korea, while China, the second-place, will compete against DPR Korea for a spot in the showdown.
In another highlight on Thursday, Hong Kong, China faced off against DPR Korea. In the first set, Hong Kong, China started with young players, but they were still unable to block the opponent’s strong attacks and cost them two sets. In the third set, the key players were sent back on the court and successfully won a set back. However, in the fourth set, they fell behind early and eventually lost 1-3 (14-25, 16-25, 25-23, 14-25), ranking third in the group, while DPR Korea advanced as the top spot in Pool B.
Head coach of Hong Kong, China Kwok Kin Chuen said: “Sending young players in the first set was a tactical arrangement to let them gain experience while preserving the main players’ stamina for a hard fight in the third set, hoping to turn the game around.”
He also stated that the opponents are very worthy of learning from, not only for their mature skills such as strong defense, stable serving, and tactics, but also for their mentality. DPR Korea players had little fluctuation, resulting in fewer mistakes and more effective counterattacks.
Macau, China and Chinese Taipei, both from Group B, faced off on the court in the first match of the day.
With Chinese Taipei on fire in attack, Macau, China were unable to withstand them and finally lost in straight sets 15-25, 20-25, 14-25), missing out their victory despite their unwavering defensive efforts.
Korea played Mongolia in Group A, with a well-balanced offensive and defensive performance the entire time. In the end, Korea emerged victorious with a more stable performance in straight sets 25-21, 25-21, 25-21) against Mongolia, securing a spot as the second-place team in Group A.
All teams will have a day off Friday, August 16, and they will compete in the semifinals and classification matches on Saturday. Hong Kong, China will face the fourth-place team from Group B Macau, China, while the other match will feature a clash between Chinese Taipei and Mongolia. The winners of the classification match will vie for fifth place, while the losing team will compete for seventh place.
MATCH RESULTS
DAY 3
Chinese Taipei b Macau, China (25-15, 25-20, 25-14)
Korea b Mongolia 3-0 (25-21, 25-21, 25-21)
DPR Korea b Hong Kong, China 3-1 (25-14, 25-16, 23-25, 25-14)
Japan b China 3-2 (25-20, 20-25, 24-26, 25-23, 15-11)
MATCH SCHEDULE
Saturday, August 17
11.30am: 5th-8th places: Chinese Taipei vs Mongolia
14:00pm: 5th-8th places: Hong Kong, China vs Macau, China
17:30pm: Semifinals: DPR Korea vs China
20:00pm: Semifinals: Japan vs Korea
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