Wu Mengjie and China stamped their class on Australia in a clinical 25-13, 25-8, 25-8 rout, to advance a step closer to defending their title in the 2022 PNVF AVC Cup for Women, Saturday afternoon at the PhilSports Arena in Pasig City.
The win secured China a place in the semifinals for a seventh straight time.
Wu ended with a game-high 17 points on 12 attacks, one block, and four service aces. Meanwhile, opposite hitter Zhou Yetong added 14 attacks.
Head coach Kuang Qi felt pleased with what his wards had shown in the match. He also hopes they will continue that same intensity in the semifinals.
“There are a lot of people who came into the game and everybody wanted to win, that’s for sure. I expect them to play well every game. It is not just about victory, but how we play well on the court and show the skills we learned in practice,” the tactician said through his opposite hitter Li Xuemeng, who was acting as interpreter.
After a strong resistance from Australia at the start of the first set, China turned to its service game to eventually pull through with the set advantage.
The defending champions then would not let things to chance, as they continued to capitalize on the passing problems of Australia. In some instances, the Australians were able to make plays in transition, but these were far few in between.
China ended the match with yet another Wu attack.
Zhuang Yushan once more provided the points when needed with 13 markers on eight attacks, three service aces, and two blocks.
“I think that the spirit of the traditional Chinese volleyball team that we have always been showing. We were striving for every ball on offense and defense,” Kuang said on what will pull them through to another Final appearance.
No Australians ended with double figures as Caitlin Tipping and Rebecca Redgen were both limited to four points each. The former scored all of her points from attacks, while the latter had one block to go with three spikes.
China will look to advance into another title match against the winner between the Philippines and Thailand. Meanwhile, Australia will take on the loser of the same match for the 5th-8th semifinals. Both matches will happen on Sunday.
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