China and Belgium advance to Challenger Cup semis

China and Belgium are one step closer to competing in the Volleyball Nations League 2025 as Asians and Europeans produced victories on Thursday in Linyi, China, to overcome the quarterfinal round of the FIVB Volleyball Men's Challenger Cup 2024.

• Watch Volleyball Challenger Cup 2024 live on VBTV

Guaranteed in the semifinals, the Chinese now wait for the duel between Qatar and Egypt, on Friday, at 19:30 local time (11:30 GMT), to know their next opponents. The Belgians have Ukraine and Chile, who also meet on Friday, at 15:30 local time (7:30 GMT), as potential rivals in the semifinals.

Playing in front of their home fans, China had no issues downing Mexico 3-0 (25-23, 25-17, 25-23) to claim the first spot in the semifinals. The Asians played in the VNL in 2018, 2019, 2021 and 2022 and are looking to return after missing it this season.

Star outside hitter Zhang Jingyin was China’s main offensive weapon against the Mexicans, topping all scorers with 19 points (17 kills, one block, one ace). Opposite Wang Jingyi also got to double digits, with 13 points (nine kills, two blocks, two aces).

“The key for us today was focusing on our defense,” Jingyin commented. “We did great teamwork during the match and that helped us come back in the first set. This was just our first step in the Challenger Cup. We want to go back to the VNL and will do everything we can to achieve this goal.”

On the Mexican side, opposite Franky Milantony was the top scorer with 11 points, followed by middle blocker Axel Rodríguez and outside hitter and team captain Mauro Fuentes, with eight each.

Volleyball Challenger Cup – Match Schedule and Results

Belgium get revenge over Croatia

In the second quarterfinal duel of the opening day in Lingyi, Belgium got payback against Croatia after losing to their opponents in the European Golden League less than two months ago and moved forward with a dramatic 3-2 (25-20, 25-18, 22-25, 15-25, 15-13) victory.

Outside hitter Seppe Rotty was instrumental in the Belgian triumph as he led all scorers with 24 points (22 kills, two blocks). Opposite Ferre Reggers, with 18, and outside hitter Pierre Perrin, with 15, also contributed to their successful start in the Challenger Cup.

“We started the match really well, we were aggressive from the start and that was the most important thing,” Rotty reflected. “We had our struggles in the third and fourth sets, but were able to focus on the tie-breaker and keep fighting. I felt this was one of our best games this summer and we’re improving every day. We want to qualify for the VNL and that’s why we’re here. We think that playing the best teams in the world will help our improvement a lot.”

Opposite and captain Petar Đirlić played an excellent match for Croatia, leading their scoring efforts with 23 points (20 kills, three blocks). Outside hitters Ivan Zeljkovic (15) and Filip Šestan (14) and middle blocker Kruno Nikačević (10) also had solid displays.

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