Japan continues its impressive run in the Volleyball Nations League. The team led by Laurent Tillie recorded its 13th consecutive victory since the start of the tournament, after defeating host China 3:1 (23:25, 26:24, 25:17, 25:23) and qualified for the semifinals, where they will face the winner of the match between USA and Italy.
The Chinese, who reached the Final Eight as tournament hosts, surprised the favorite early on. With more aggressive play at the net and solid defensive actions, the hosts snatched the first set 25:23 and made a serious bid for an upset.
In the second set, the Chinese team continued to challenge the only undefeated team in the VNL. After leveling at 19:19, China stayed close to their opponent until the very end and even came within a point of another success at 23:24. However, Yuji Nishida then successfully attacked through the block, and the Japanese dramatically snatched the set 26:24.
After the missed opportunity, the hosts struggled to find an answer. The third set passed entirely under Japan's dictation, as they quickly built a 14:7 lead and reached 25:17 without difficulty.
The fourth set was the most contested. China even led 20:19 and for a long time seemed capable of forcing a tie-break. However, the Japanese made a run of three consecutive points, and although the hosts first narrowed the gap to 21:22, and then leveled at 23:23, a comeback did not follow. A service error from China and a subsequent ace from Tomita ended the dispute.
Japan finished with an advantage in all key elements. The "Samurai" scored 61 points in attack against 54 for China, recorded 9 block points against 6, and won a total of 98 points against 87. The only tie was in aces – 4 for both teams.
The Japanese's defensive work was particularly impressive, where they recorded 61 digs against 55 for the Chinese, while the hosts compensated with better reception (80 against 71).
Ran was the top scorer for the winners with 21 points, and Nishida added 13. For China, Wang scored 19 points, and Li finished with 13.
Before the start of the quarterfinals, Japan was the only undefeated team in the VNL, having finished the preliminary phase with a 12-0 record and 30 points. The Asians already have a bronze medal from 2023 and silver from 2024, and are now just one win away from another final. China, who qualified for the Final Eight as hosts despite finishing last (18th) in the preliminary phase, ends its participation in the quarterfinals for the second consecutive year.