MANILA, April 14 (Xinhua) -- China overcame first set deficit and clobbered Lebanon 23-25, 25-12, 25-22, 25-16 on Monday to reach semifinals of the 2014 Asian men's Club Volleyball held at MOA Arena in Pasay City, the Philippines.
Driven by desire and determination, the Chinese, carrying the colors of Baic Motor, recovered from a lethargic start to outplay the Lebanese in the next three sets to forge a semifinal date with Qatar after the latters conquered the hosts the Philippines 25-17, 25-14, 25-21.
Getting fine instructions from coach Li Mu, the Chinese team, still holding on after Chinese Taipei lost to defending champions Iran in the quarterfinals and Hong Kong bowed out in the preliminary, fiercely fought the Lebanese for control of the game, proved steadier in the end and earned a trip ticket to the semis.
"We played well coordinated game. Our offense and defense complimented each other," said Li, a former national player during his heydays.
China, finishing the fourth place last year in Dubai, dictated the tempo of the fourth set and Liang Chunlong iced the game with a service ace. Liang and Wang Chen finished with 16 points.
Lebanon became the second Middle East team beaten by China after the United Arab Emirates in the preliminary.