CANDON, Ilocos Sur — Chinese Taipei brought down favored Kazakhstan in a stunning Final Four sweep, 25-23, 25-16, 25-14, for a breakthrough championship appearance in the 2026 Asian Volleyball Confederation (AVC) Women’s Volleyball Cup on Saturday here at the Candon City Arena.
The Taiwanese bounced back mightily from a sorry five-set loss to South Korea to end the pool play last Friday to assure themselves of their best continental finish.
Yu-Chun Tsai powered Chinese Taipei, which finished bronze in the previous edition, after scoring 17 of her 18 points on attacks, while Yi-Chi Chang added 14 points.
“Very happy, and it’s the first time for us to get into the final. So, I’m really excited,” Chinese Taipei setter and captain Yi-Jen Liao said.
“This game, I think everybody, and Yi-Chi (Chang) played very well.”
Chinese-Taipei will face the survivor between defending champion Vietnam and unbeaten South Korea, which are still playing as of press time, in the winner-take-all final Sunday at 7 p.m.
The Kazakhs were a shell of themselves in a devastating loss that ended their five-game winning streak.
Tatyana Yatskiv had 12 points and Kristina Belova scored 10 for Kazakhstan, which will face the Vietnam-South Korea semis loser in the battle for bronze at 3:30 p.m.
Meanwhile, Alas Pilipinas aims to salvage some measure of pride in front of its home crowd in the battle for seventh place against Iran.
Game time is at 9:30 a.m.
The Filipinas seek to end their campaign on a positive note after missing the podium for the first time in three years following a disappointing run in the pool stage of tournament, presented by the Philippine Sports Commission, FIVB, AVC, Volleyball World and Candon City, headed by Mayor Eric Singson.
“Our main goal is to give our best and win the game. We want to end this tournament on a high note,” Alas head coach Shaq delos Santos said.
Forced to field a revamped roster after the core of the squad that finished runner-up last year begged off from participating, the Alyssa Valdez-skippered Alas closed the pool play with back-to-back losses for a 2-3 win-loss record.
Backstopping Valdez are fellow veterans Jovelyn Gonzaga, Ces Molina, setter Kyle Negrito and young guns Alyssa Solomon and Nina Ytang.
“It’s a different kind of pressure but it’s still a good feeling to experience this kind of pressure. We need to work harder, play with a more polished game and communicate as a team for our last game,” Valdez said.
The Iranians also recorded a 2-3 slate in the group stage.