China outlasts United States 3-2 in women's VNL Finals quarterfinal thriller

MACAO, July 23 (Xinhua) -- China advanced to the semifinals after a thrilling five-set victory over the United States at the women's Volleyball Nations League (VNL) Finals here on Thursday.

The United States made the stronger start and took the opening set 25-15. The second set was closely contested, with China edging the Americans 25-23. After the teams split the next two sets, the match went to a deciding fifth set.

China fell behind in the decider but fought back to level the score and regain control. The host held firm to take the set 15-13, sealing victory and the place in the semifinals.

Zhuang Yushan led China with 17 points, while Gong Xiangyu and Tang Xin added 15 and 13, respectively.

"Beating the United States has given us a huge boost in confidence," Zhuang said after the match. "We were competing with a mindset of a challenger," she added.

Earlier on Thursday, Türkiye defeated Canada 3-1. On Wednesday, Italy swept the Netherlands 3-0, while Brazil beat Japan 3-1.

The semifinals will be held on Saturday, with China facing Türkiye and Brazil taking on defending champion Italy. Enditem