Taiwan Women's Volleyball Team Sweeps Uzbekistan for 3rd Straight Win in Asian Cup

(Central News Agency, reporter Li Jianzhong, Taipei, 9th) In the 2026 Asian Women's Volleyball Cup, the Taiwan representative team faced Uzbekistan in their third preliminary match today. Demonstrating their team strength, they easily defeated their opponents with scores of 25-17, 25-13, and 25-19, achieving their third consecutive preliminary victory.

The Asian Women's Volleyball Cup is being held in the Philippines from June 6 to 14, with 12 teams participating. The preliminary round is divided into two groups, with the top two teams from each group advancing to the semifinals. Taiwan is in the same group as the Philippines, South Korea, Kyrgyzstan, Australia, and Uzbekistan. In the first three matches, Taiwan has successively defeated Kyrgyzstan, Australia, and Uzbekistan, putting them in a strong position to reach the semifinals.

Late last night, the Taiwanese women's team defeated the taller Australian team 3-1. With less than 12 hours of rest, they faced Uzbekistan at noon today. Fortunately, there was a significant gap in skill level, allowing Taiwan to win comfortably.

Taiwan, ranked 38th in the world, faced Uzbekistan, ranked 101st. They easily won the first two sets and quickly reached match point at 24-16 in the third set. Despite a few consecutive errors that allowed Uzbekistan to score three points, it did not affect the victory.

The Taiwanese women's team once again displayed excellent offensive power, outscoring their opponents 49-21 in attack points. Middle blocker Wu Zihua led the team with a game-high 13 points. Notably, 17-year-old wing spiker Xu Zhenxuan scored 11 points, the second-highest on the team.

This Asian Cup is the first international event of the year for the Chinese Taipei women's volleyball team, which includes several new faces. Captain Liao Yiren stated, "The team is still building chemistry, but everyone is willing to contribute to the team. As captain, my role is to connect everyone so that the team can perform better overall on the court."

After three consecutive matches, the team will have an official rest day tomorrow, followed by a match against the host nation, the Philippines, on the 11th.

The AVC Women's Volleyball Cup was first established in 2018, but the inaugural event was canceled due to force majeure. It was held biennially for the first three editions before becoming an annual event from 2023. The Taiwan women's team finished third in both 2023 and 2025. (Editor: Li Xizhang) 1150609