Vietnam’s Sport Center I beat Japan’s Hisamitsu Springs 3-1 at the 2023 Asian Women’s Club Volleyball Championship on Thursday, moving closer to a spot in the semifinals.

Sport Center I, powered by the Vietnamese national team, finished the match in four sets thanks to X-factor Ly Thi Luyen and an impressive performance by captain Tran Thi Thanh Thuy.

They claimed the first set at 25-20, but coach Nguyen Tuan Kiet’s adjustments in the second fell short and allowed the Japanese side to make a strong comeback and win the set at 17-25.

Spectators at the Vinh Phuc indoor stadium in the namesake northern Vietnamese province were then treated to a point race in the third set before the host won the set at 25-21.

The 2-1 lead gave Sport Center I the momentum to topple Hisamitsu Springs 25-15 in the fourth and final set.

With their 3-1 victory, Sport Center I now has a 2-0 win-loss record, while Hisamitsu Springs has a 0-2 record.

Sport Center I now leads their group with five points, followed by Taiwan’s King Whale Taipei with two points, and Iran’s Paykan and Hisamitsu Springs with one point each.

This ranking means that the Vietnamese representative is almost certainly through to the semifinals, with only one match against King Whale Taipei on Saturday remaining.

The 2023 Asian Women’s Club Volleyball Championship is the 23rd edition of the annual international women’s club volleyball tournament organized by the Asian Volleyball Confederation and the Volleyball Federation of Vietnam.

The nine participating teams -- Vietnam, Iran, Japan, Taiwan, Kazakhstan, Thailand, China, Mongolia, and Hong Kong -- compete in two groups in a round-robin format in Vinh Phuc Province from Tuesday to May 2.

The winner of the tournament will qualify for the 2023 FIVB Volleyball Women’s Club World Championship, which is scheduled for December 11 to 17 in China.

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