Can Iran and Vietnam give top-ranked teams Japan and China a run for their money? The quarterfinal round of the 2013 Asian Women’s Volleyball Championship begins on Thursday in Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand, and with the matches shifting to a do-or-die format, even the higher-ranked teams can now feel the pressure of a possible upset.

At the end of the second round where teams played two more games in addition to their respective carried-over records from the first round, Japan (2-1) and China (3-0) topped their groups. This meant that they are drawn in the quarterfinals with the Iran (0-3) and Vietnam (0-3), both of which placed last in their groups and both came out with a win.

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That’s not stopping the Vietnamese and Iranians from attempting the improbable upset. Vietnam and Iran placed 7th and 8th, respectively, in the 2011 edition of the Asian Women’s Volleyball Championship and both want to improve on those placing in 2013.

Vietnam’s wins in this tournament came against teams from Hong Kong (25-16, 25-18, 25-17) and Indonesia (25-19, 21-25, 25-10, 25-17), while Iran’s came versus the Philippines (19-25, 25-20, 25-18, 25-15) and India (13-25, 25-22, 25-9, 25-18).

As expected, China and Japan romped through their opponents in the first and second rounds. China has yet to lose a game—or even a set—in this tournament while, Japan lost only once, an upset loss to hosts Thailand.

The Chinese beat Iran, 25-11, 25-16, 25-17; the Philippines, 25-9, 25-10, 25-8; India, 25-12, 25-15, 25-11; Chinese Taipei, 25-11, 25-14, 25-11; and South Korea, 25-22, 25-14, 25-17.

Meanwhile, the Japanese defeated Vietnam, 25-6, 25-13, 25-16; Indonesia, 25-21, 25-21, 25-23; Hong Kong, 25-10, 25-7, 25-11; and Kazakhstan, 25-15, 25-15, 24-26, 25-12,

Two major events in 2013 and 2014 are still at stake in this tournament. The champion will carry the banner for Asia in the FIVB World Grand Champions Cup set on Nov 12 to 17, 2013, in Japan and the top two teams—aside from Japan and China—will qualify for the FIVB World Grand Prix in 2014.

The winner in the Japan-Iran tiff will take one of Kazakhstan or South Korea in the semifinals, while the survivor in the China-Vietnam match will face either Thailand or Chinese Taipei.

2013 Asian Women’s Volleyball Championship Live Streaming and Schedule

Sept 19, 2013 – Thursday

Quarterfinals Round
 Japan vs. Iran
Thailand vs. Chinese Taipei
Kazakhstan vs. South Korea
China vs. Vietnam

Classification Round
 Mongolia vs. Myanmar
Sri Lanka vs. Hong Kong
Indonesia vs. India
Australia vs. Philippines