China secured its place in the Asian Volleyball Championship quarterfinals after defeating Iran 3-0 in Tianjin on Monday.
The tournament hosts won with scores of 25-14, 25-23, and 25-14, securing their second consecutive title in Group A. Thanks to this result, China accumulated six points without losing a single set, which guaranteed them at least second place in the group and advancement to the playoff stage.
In the first set, China quickly took control of the game and confidently won it 25-14. However, in the second set, Iran created much tougher competition. After the host team reached match point with a score of 24-19, the visiting team earned four consecutive points, reducing the deficit to one point. Then, the home team recovered after the timeout and won the next point to take the set 25-23.
The Iranians maintained pressure at the beginning of the third set, briefly taking the lead 8-7. Nevertheless, the Chinese athletes managed to respond and gradually regain the initiative. The substitution of translator Liu Dianyu helped the host team find its rhythm, leading to a victory 25-14 and cementing the overall 3-0 win.
The top scorer was Zhuang Yushan, who scored 18 points, including 15 kills and three blocks. Captain Gong Xiangyu and middle blocker Chen Houyu added eight points each for China, while Fatemeh Khalili led the scoring for the Iranian team with nine points.
This second consecutive triumph for China followed a dominant 3-0 victory over Iraq in the first match, which allowed the hosts of Group A to take first place, achieving two wins in two games. The tournament host will face Taipei China on Wednesday in the final group stage match before the quarterfinals begin.