MANILA — Volleyball powerhouses China, Japan, and Vietnam secured semifinal tickets in the 2022 AVC Cup for Women after beating their respective foes at PhilSports Arena Saturday.

The Vietnamese needed five sets to escape Chinese-Taipei, 19-25, 25-17, 16-25, 25-18, 15-10, behind the heroics of Tran Thi Thanh Thuy.

Tran carried Vietnam to match point from a 6-9 deficit, as she dropped eight straight points.

Chinese-Taipei saved match point, courtesy of fifth set substitute Chang Li-Wen, but the Southeast Asian side closed out the two-hour, 20-minute contest with Tran nailing the down the line hit.

Vietnam, which placed second in Pool B, advanced to the semifinals for the second time in AVC Cup for Women history and will face Japan next.

Japan eked out a 25-23, 25-21, 26-28, 25-16 victory over Iran to advance in the next round of the competition.

Mizuki Tanaka scattered six of her 13 points in the pivotal fourth set, as the Japanese rebounded from a narrow loss in the extended third set to frustrate the Iranians in their quarterfinals showdown.

Yuki Nishikawa scored all but one of her 18 points in the first three sets while Hiroyo Yamanaka had two blocks to finish with eight points.

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Meanwhile, China overwhelmed Australia in their quarterfinal matchup, 25-13, 25-8, 25-8, to keep their title hopes alive.

The Chinese team is eyeing a sixth AVC Cup championship.

Wu Mengjie pumped in 17 points, including four service aces, while Zhou Yetong hammered 14 kills for the Chinese.

Zhuang Yushan dropped 10 of her 13 points in the second set where China imposed its will, while Wang Wenhan matched Zhuang's two blocks to finish with nine points.

China will face the winner between the Philippines and Thailand in the semifinals on Sunday, August 28.

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