The Chinese women's volleyball team Photo: Sina Weibo

The Chinese women's volleyball team beat the US with a thrilling 3-2 comeback victory in the 2025 Women's Volleyball Nations League (VNL) in Arlington, Texas, on July 14, Beijing time. This is the team's fourth win in a row, wrapping up their performance in Arlington with a perfect record.

Before this game, the Chinese women's volleyball team achieved a thrilling 3-2 comeback victory over the German team, securing a three-match winning streak at the VNL in Arlington, on July 12, local time. 

They did it again to achieve the comeback from 0-2 down to 3-2, defeating the host US team.

Next, the team will participate in the VNL 2025 Finals in the Polish city of Lodz, from July 23-27.

Even though the US team has secured their ticket to the final matches, the team's performance turned out to be less than ideal and their world ranking dropped to seventh. 

Since the match between China and the US was the last match of the VNL 2025, the results will determine the finals teams' positions.

In the first session, the Chinese women's volleyball team had a fluctuation, losing it at 18-25. In the second session, the Chinese team did not impress the audience with their offense tactics. Instead, the US team remained aggressive, claiming their advantage at 25-19. 

Starting from the third session, Team China put the ­libero Wang Mengjie to strengthen the back row defense. Wang offered the team counterattack opportunities. With 25-21 and 25-16, the team stabilized the match.

In the final session, the team members continued their persistence, even if Gong Xiangyu got injured and was replaced by young player Yang Shuming. The latter part of the game was tense, with each team claiming scores ­alternately. After missing several match points, the Chinese women's volleyball team won the session 18-16.

Earlier in the tournament, China had also defeated the Dominican Republic and Germany in five sets, and Canada 3-1. "I am pleased with the resilience demonstrated by our players," said head coach Zhao Yong.

So far, Team China has completed its journey in VNL 2025, bagging nine wins out of 12 games. 

China finished fifth among the 18 teams in the preliminary round, with nine wins, three losses, and 24 points. They will face Poland, the fourth-place finisher and host of the Finals, in the quarterfinals.

The US, led by Sarah Franklin's 32 points, ended eighth with a 7-5 record. They will take on top-seeded Italy for a spot in the semifinals.

Brazil, Japan, Turkey, and Germany also advanced to the Finals.