China eye victory against Turkey in Women’s Volleyball Nations League semi-final showdown
Hosts stun top-seeded United States in last eight but now face nation who have beaten them on every recent big occasion
China will take their status as underdogs into the last four of the Women’s Volleyball Nations League (VNL) Finals on Saturday against Turkey, a team who have beaten them in all the big occasions over the past several years.
A stunning five-set upset of the United States in the quarter-finals has propelled the host nation, who finished ninth in the regular-season standings, into a position they were never expected to hold at the Macau East Asian Games Dome.
Now they face a side who got the better of them in the tournament’s 2023 final in the US, and claimed a dramatic 3-2 win in the last eight of the Paris Olympics a year later. In June, Turkey beat their mainland opponents 3-2 in the VNL preliminary round in Ankara.
Zhao Yong, China’s head coach, said that despite losing to Turkey just last month, his team would “do their utmost” to “fully demonstrate” their technical strengths and overall fighting power.
“We currently have young players filling three positions, so our experienced hitters need to rely on their court experience to guide these young players and help them bring out their best form on the court,” Zhao said.
Turkey had an easier path to the semi-finals, completing a 3-1 win over Canada on Thursday, hours before China and the US took to the court.