Vietnam’s VTV Binh Dien Long An, still reeling from a blown opportunity against Beijing Baic Motor, recovered from a first-set stumble to defeat Saipa Tehran, 22-25, 25-15, 25-20, 25-15, on Tuesday and clinch a spot in the quarterfinals of the 2025 AVC Women’s Champions League at the Philsports Arena.
The Vietnamese club, which squandered a 2-0 set lead in a tough loss to Baic Motor on Monday, secured the second seed in Pool C behind the Chinese squad. They now set up a quarterfinal clash with Pool B leader Kaohsiung Taipower in the tournament supported by Mikasa, Mizuno, and Grand Sport as federation partners.
“After the first set, I switched T4 (Tran Thi Thanh Thuy) to opposite and moved Quynh to outside hitter. I also brought in Lu Thi Phuong, and that changed our fortunes,” said Binh Dien Long An head coach Thai Quang Lai via a translator, explaining his key in-game adjustments.
Those changes proved pivotal, as the Volleyball Vietnam League champions regained their form from the second set onwards.
Though Binh Dien Long An cruised through the second set, they had to dig deep in the next two frames, relying on clutch rallies to complete the win in one hour and 50 minutes.
Thuy ignited a late surge in the third set with three consecutive hits that transformed a slim 21-20 edge into a commanding lead. The set was capped by a Saipa error from Soudabeh Bagherpour, giving the Vietnamese the 2-1 set advantage.
In the fourth, with Saipa briefly leading 12-11, Polish import Natalia Lijewska caught fire, scoring nine unanswered points to blow the game wide open at 20-12. That run sealed Saipa’s fate and wrapped up group play for Binh Dien Long An with a 1-1 record in the 12-team tournament organized by Sports Vision.
Vi Thi Nhu Quynh led all scorers with 21 points off 16 spikes, three blocks, and two aces. Lijewska added 15 points, while Thuy contributed 14 points on 12 attacks, one block, and one ace, along with 13 excellent digs on defense.
Saipa Tehran ended its campaign winless at 0-2, following an opening straight-set loss to Baic Motor on Sunday.
Outside hitters Mahsa Saberi and Mahsa Kadkhoda led the Iranian side with 11 points apiece, with Saberi also notching 15 excellent digs.
The eight-day tournament, also supported by local partners PLDT, MWell, Eagle Cement, Rebisco, Akari, Gameville, PNVF, PSC, Cignal, and The Look Group, takes a break on Wednesday and resumes Thursday with the knockout quarterfinals.
