China defeated Japan 3-2 (23-25, 25-21, 25-17, 14-25, 15-10) in the Asian Women's Under-20 Volleyball Championship final in Jiangmen, south China's Guangdong Province, on Tuesday, winning the tournament for the 13th time.

China secured five straight wins to make the final and lost only one set in all five matches. It was their 13th meeting with Japan who China had lost to in both of the title matches in the previous two editions in 2022 and 2018.

Japan came back to take the first set 25-23 and then led 17-15 in the second, before China reversed the situation with a 10-4 run. The hosts struck hard in the third set, winning it 25-17, but Japan made a strong response by scoring 11 straight points to claim the fourth set 25-14 and tie the match at 2-2.

China built a quick lead (13-5) soon after the final set began, but Japan cut their deficit to three points (10-13) with a resilient performance. In the end, China refused to let the victory slip away and sealed the deal with an ace, ending their eight-year title drought at the tournament.

"It was pretty rocky for us in the beginning, but we started to enjoy the match after adjusting our mentality. It was not easy for us to win the title," Wang Yidi, captain of China, said.

"We were fighting as one tonight. Although we experienced ups and downs in the match, we won it and we will be more confident. I see many hopes in these girls, both technically and mentally, they are the future," Kuang Qi, coach of China, said.