Nagoya, Sep 22 (IANS) Defending champions China claimed their 10th gold medal in Asian Games women's volleyball with a 3-0 victory over Japan in the final in Nagoya on Tuesday.
The teams traded points early in the first set. Midway through the set, China gradually pulled ahead and sealed a 25-19 win.
China maintained a narrow lead throughout the second set. Both sides ramped up the intensity, staging several long rallies before China closed out the set 25-20, Xinhua reports.
Japan cranked up its attack at the start of the third set, jumping out to a 7-1 lead, forcing China to call a timeout. China then reset its rhythm and leveraged its serving and blocking strengths to tie the score at 19-19. After four deuces, China sealed the set 25-23 to claim the match.
Earlier, China edged past Thailand 3-2 in Monday's semifinal, avenging their loss in last month's Asian Women's Volleyball Championship final and advancing to the gold-medal match against Japan. In the day's other semifinal, Japan beat South Korea 3-0.
China beat Japan in straight sets at the Hangzhou Asian Games in 2023.
Thailand won the bronze medal with a 4-0 win over South Korea in the third-place playoff.
Earlier, China, Japan, Thailand and South Korea, along with Vietnam, Kazakhstan, Indonesia and Chinese Taipei, had made it to the quarterfinals, coming through their respective preliminary groups in the 14-team competition, with two groups of three teams each and the other two of four.
--IANS
bsk/vi
