China lost to the U.S. 3-1 at the semifinal of the 2019 Women's Volleyball Nations League (VNL) Finals on Saturday in Nanjing of east China's Jiangsu Province.

The host had a quite chaotic and slow start with poor first pass and coordination among players, while the U.S. team was solid in both defense and attack with few errors.

Americans led the game from the very beginning with 6-1, and the margin was once enlarged to 18-5. China quickly lost the first set 25-11 within 21 minutes.

But the second set turned out to be the opposite. The Chinese team adjusted itself well and improved defense, while the U.S. made more errors. China won the set without much pressure 25-15.

With all leading players in the crew, the U.S. had an apparent overall advantage over the young Chinese squad. Netblock still proved to be an effective weapon for the U.S. side in the third set, which ended with 25-17.

The two teams were well-matched in the fourth set with scores seesawed all along. China managed to pick up and tie at 19-19 from four points behind, but it was the U.S. won the set 25- 20 thanks to their strong defense and excellent serve.

After the game, Chinese wing spiker Liu Yanhan said, "When we pressured them, they made errors too. But when we were at a deadlock, they were stronger than us."

China lost to Turkey 3-0 earlier this week, and the two rivals are set to play again on Sunday after Turkey was slaughtered by VNL's 12-time champion Brazil 3-0 (25-23, 25-15, 25-10) in another semifinal.

Liu said the Chinese squad is determined to play the last game well and present their best level.

Meanwhile, American wing spiker Michelle Bartsch-Hackley said playing in China and against China was one of their favorite things, "I am just trying to do everything in my power to help my team win. The atmosphere they bring and the Chinese fans are all really knowledgeable about volleyball, so it is just fun playing here."

The U.S. and Brazil will clash with each other in the finals on July 7.