Chinese Taipei sealed the net against a Korean attacker

Hong Kong, China, July 3, 2014 - Chinese Taipei and China trounced their strong rivals Korea and Japan, respectively, while Macau clinched their first win on the second day of the three-day preliminary round of the Asian Eastern Zonal Women’s Volleyball Championship 2014 at the Ma On Shan Sports Centre on Thursday.

Chinese Taipei managed to overcome Korea with a straight sets (26-24, 25-17, 25-21) victory in the third and final match of the day in Pool A. Chinese Taipei and Korea fought for every point at the beginning of the first set and levelled the scores several times. Korea were first to break through but Chinese Taipei applied an effective blocking scheme that helped them rally with a 26-24 score on the initial set.

The second and third sets were full of see-saw situations but Chinese Taipei always found a way to gain momentum and control of the match.

Chinese Taipei captain figured well on the scoring end with 20 points, including two aces.

“We dominated this match because of our powerful serves and solid blocks,” said Chen. “The tactical instructions of our coaches also helped a lot to win this match.”

Earlier, China came back in the match after their first set fumble to defeat Japan 3-1 (17-25, 25-22, 25-22, 25-15) in Pool B. The battle between these teams were closely fought. Japan started the match with many combinations plays, which China did not manage to adapt to immediately, conceding the first set to Japanese squad.

China soon recovered and showed more determination on displaying more solid blocks and a variety of offensive strikes. Japan committed errors in the latter phase of the second set that allowed China to take over. China maintained their steady performance and sturdy defence on the third and fourth sets, which led to their triumph over Japan.

Macau came forth after being two sets down to edge Mongolia in an epic five-setter (24-26, 12-25, 25-23, 25-23, 15-13) that lasted two hours.

Mongolia started much focused in the match that got them through a fierce fight in the latter part of the first set with a 26-24 win. Mongolia followed through with a 25-12 win on the second set without much hard fighting from the Macau team.

Macau made a reversal – showing more focus on offence and defence – that allowed them to edge the Mongolians in the third and fourth sets. Macau and Mongolia scored almost evenly on spikes, blocks and services but Macau powered their way to race ahead of the Mongolians on both sets to force a tiebreaker.

In the deciding set, both teams showed toughness on their plays as the score remained close. Macau showed more mental toughness in the end that eventually rewarded them with the victory. Macau captain Lei Sin Kuan scored 22 points from 21 spikes and an ace helped her team to this historic match over Mongolia.

Language(s)

English

Additional links

Download high-resolution photo