Taipei: Taiwan’s team to the inaugural Asian Volleyball Confederation (AVC) Women’s Volleyball Nations Cup in Vietnam defeated Kazakhstan on Saturday to take home a bronze medal. With the cup’s host country Vietnam defeating the Philippines to take first place, Taiwan was pitted against Kazakhstan in the bronze medal match on Saturday.

According to Focus Taiwan, the height advantage of the Kazakh players saw the team take the first set 17-25. However, by alternating between varying tactics, Taiwan was able to turn the tide and won the next three sets 25-13, 25-16, and 25-13 to take the best-out-of-five match. Hitters Chang Yi-chi and Liu Shuang-ling gave it their all to deliver on the plays called by team captain Elaine Liao.

Speaking with CNA, Taiwan team head coach Demy Teng expressed satisfaction with the player’s ability to muster firepower through teamwork. Despite the skill of the Kazakh players, Taiwan’s athletes successfully executed the plays directed by the team. “We had very little time from the team’s formation to training and ultimately competing in the tournament,” Teng stated, acknowledging the short preparation time. However, she noted that the team came together effectively, though there is still room for improvement.

The Taiwan team for the 2025 AVC Women’s Volleyball Nations Cup began training in February following the release of the roster in January. However, the team members did not get a chance to work together until late April, due to commitments to other competitions such as the 2025 AVC Women’s Champions League event. The full team eventually held off-site training in late May in Japan, fostering teamwork and camaraderie.

Teng added that the Taiwan team will continue preparing diligently for upcoming events including the FISU World University Games and Asian Games. The inaugural AVC Women’s Volleyball Nations Cup was the first competition rebranded from the now-defunct AVC Women’s Challenge Cup, founded in 2018. The event featured 11 teams in two pools, with the top two teams from each pool advancing to the semifinals.

This newly designed competition provides an opportunity for nations not part of the International Volleyball Federation’s (FIVB) Volleyball Nations League competitions, such as Taiwan, to accumulate points for larger international competitions. Additionally, the champion of this year’s AVC Women’s Volleyball Nations Cup, host-nation Vietnam, automatically qualified for the Asian Women’s Volleyball Championship to be held in China in 2026.