China produced a stunning comeback to defeat the United States 3-2 (15-25, 25-23, 25-20, 17-25, 15-13) in the women's Volleyball Nations League quarterfinals on Thursday, sending the 4,400-strong home crowd in Macao into raptures and booking a semifinal date with Turkiye.
The seventh-ranked team in the FIVB World Rankings overturned a disastrous first set — dominated by American middle blocker Dana Rettke at the net — to claim their first VNL semifinal berth since 2023. The three-time VNL champions, who topped the preliminary phase standings, will miss the final four for the third consecutive year.
China's fightback began in the second set. After trailing 11-7, the hosts clawed back to level at 18-18 before outside hitter Zhuang Yushan delivered two crushing kills to seal it 25-23. The momentum carried into the third set, where China pulled away from 13-13 to win 25-20, capitalising on a long serve from Rettke to close it out.
The Americans responded emphatically in the fourth, racing to a 13-9 lead and never looking back, forcing a tie-break with a dominant 25-17 display. But China twice recovered from three-point deficits in the deciding set. At 11-11 they seized control, and 18-year-old middle blocker Wang Aoqian smashed the match-winning kill through the middle to seal a 15-13 victory.
Zhuang Yushan led China's scorers with 17 points, including an ace and a kill block. Captain Gong Xiangyu added 15, while Tang Xin (13) and Wang Yuanyuan (12) also reached double figures. China limited their unforced errors to 20 against the USA's 26 and dominated blocking 9-7.
"I am so happy we advanced to the semifinals. We didn't do well enough in previous five-set matches, so this match today is a boost to our confidence," Zhuang told VBTV after the match.
Jordan Thompson was the game's top scorer with 24 points, supported by Rettke (18 points, four kill blocks), Logan Eggleston (14), Avery Skinner (13) and Asjia O'Neal (11). The USA dominated in attack 74-58 in spike kills and edged aces 5-4, but costly errors and China's defensive resilience proved decisive.
"I think we were not at our best today and that's a bummer. In moments like this, you need to show up, but I don't think we executed to the best of our abilities," Thompson admitted. "China played an amazing game."
China will face Turkiye in Saturday's semifinal, with a spot in Sunday's gold medal match on the line.
Sources
- https://en.volleyballworld.com/volleyball/competitions/volleyball-nations-league/news/over-four-thousand-cheer-on-as-china-outlast-usa-on-way-to-vnl-semis?
