It’s Vietnam versus Kazakhstan once again — for the second straight time in an Asian Volleyball Confederation tournament hosted in the Philippines — but this time, the stakes are at the club level.
VTV Binh Dien Long An stunned a weary Beijing Baic Motor side in straight sets, 25-15, 25-19, 25-21, to book a finals showdown with Zhetysu in the 2025 AVC Women’s Champions League on Saturday at the Philsports Arena.
Nearly a year after Vietnam swept Kazakhstan in the gold medal match of the 2024 AVC Women’s Challenge Cup, the Vietnamese are set to renew their rivalry with the Kazakhs — this time battling for the Asian club championship, in a tournament backed by Mikasa, Mizuno, and Grand Sport.
Binh Dien Long An, coming off a swift four-set victory over Kaohsiung Taipower to clinch a semifinal berth, capitalized on a visibly exhausted Baic Motor squad that had just survived a grueling five-setter against Petro Gazz.
(C) PVL Images
The reigning Vietnam Volleyball League champions wasted no time seizing control, building an early four-point cushion, 12-8, off a powerful attack from Thi Nhu Quynh Vi.
From there, the Chinese club struggled to find its footing as Binh Dien Long An continued to pour on the pressure, pulling away to a commanding 21-16 lead after Thi Thanh Thuy Tran stuffed Yufei Lu at the net — all but sealing their runaway victory and a ticket to the 2025 FIVB Women’s Club Championship.
It was sweet revenge for the Vietnamese, who avenged their earlier loss to Baic Motor in the pool stage, where they suffered a heartbreaking defeat via reverse sweep, 25-22, 25-21, 19-25, 13-25, 10-15, last Monday.
“We had a really tough match against China last time, five sets. For the Vietnam side, also T4 played in the opposite position instead of an open spiker. That’s essentially the change that we made,” said Binh Dien Long An head coach Thai Quang Lai through an interpreter.
(C) PVL Images
Thuy delivered a game-high 17 points built on 13 attacks, three kill blocks, and one ace, while also tallying eight excellent digs. Quynh added 14 points on nine attacks, four aces, and a block, along with seven excellent digs.
Thi Phuong Lu contributed 13 points, while Polish import Natalia Lijewska and Thi Kim Thanh Dang chipped in 10 and seven points, respectively, as Binh Dien Long An secured their third consecutive win in the Sports Vision-organized tournament, which is also supported by local partners PLDT, MWell, Eagle Cement, Rebisco, Akari, Gameville, PNVF, PSC, Cignal, and The Look Group.
Binh Dien Long An and Zhetysu will clash for the championship tomorrow, Saturday, at 7 p.m.
Meanwhile, Shan Lanfeng led Baic Motor with 12 points, while Jin Ye — who erupted for 37 points in their quarterfinal win — was limited to just six markers in the semifinal loss.
