China heads off to final of 16th Asian Senior Men's Volleyball Championship
The semi-finals of the 16th Asian Senior Men's Volleyball Championship took place on September 28 in Tehran, Iran, at Azadi Hall No. 1. The two teams that were trying hard to earn a ticket into the final of the tournament were China and Australia. The opponents
battled for five long and grueling sets at the end of which the Chinese found themselves on the winning end by 3-2.
The first set of the match started on level terms for both teams but as the game progressed the Australians slowed down and the Chinese were able to bag a win. The second set of the match saw the Australians step up their game and take the set to the wire
but the Chinese were able to get across the finish line first and nail another win. The Australians were able to pull themselves together and equalise the match by bagging the third and the fourth sets of the game but the Chinese turned out to be the better
side in the fifth set as they won the match at the following final set scores: 25-20, 25-23, 20-25, 22-25 and 15-11.
The opening set of the match saw the Chinese take the lead early on at 8-1 with the coming of the first technical time out. The Australians did not give up the chase after the two teams came back onto the courts and fought all the way through. However, the
Chinese were able to strengthen their block that halted the Australian progress and gave the Chinese the chance to secure the first set of the game at 25-20.
The second set of the game saw the Chinese and the Australians play evenly and the first technical time out came with the Australians leading at 8-7. The Aussies were able to keep on going strong and were backed by the efforts of Nathan Roberts who stretched
the advantage of his team. However, the Chinese did not give up and tied the score at 21-21. After that point, the game took got intense but China was able to gain the upper hand by bagging the second set at 25-23.
The third set of the match remained close for the most part but the Aussies got the lead at 14-11. The Australian blocks were helping a great deal in keeping the Chinese at bay. As the match reached its final stages, Australia was able to avoid a clean sweep
by sealing the deal on the third set at 25-20.
Capitalising on the momentum generated by winning the previous set, the Australians were able to come out strong in the fourth set and turn the match in their favour by bagging a win at 25-22. However, the fifth set of the match was grabbed by the Chinese
as they took it at 15-11.
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