Chen Liyi of China competes during the semifinal match against Thailand in the 5th Asian Volleyball Confederation (AVC) Cup for women in Vietnam's northern Vinh Phuc province. [Photo/Xinhua]

HANOI - Olympic gold medalist China defeated Thailand in a semifinal match in the 5th Asian Volleyball Confederation (AVC) Cup for women in Vietnam's northern Vinh Phuc province on Monday.

Although having a upper hand with score 25-21 in the first set, China lost the second and third sets with score 23-25 and 18-25 facing strong defense from Thailand. After lagging behind in the beginning of the fourth set, a rearrangement of strategy was implemented by Chinese team, leading to a win with 25-21.

The last set witnessed a seesawed rise of the score, with China triumphed with 15-13.

"Forecasting a tough battle, we had good performance in the match", said Chinese team coach Chen Youquan, adding that China is well prepared for the final in the next day.

China will clash with the winner between Kazakhstan and Japan on Tuesday.

The fifth AVC Cup for Women lasts from Sept 14 to 20 with the participation of eight teams divided in Group A (Vietnam, Thailand, Chinese Taipei and Iran) and Group B (China, South Korea, Japan and Kazakhstan).