Japan pumped and Thailand dumped in the first round of Youth World Championship
Japan and Thailand started the action of 2011 FIVB Girls’ Youth World Championship in Pool D. Both teams had equal chances to showcase their skills in front of the international audience. They played three matches apiece and met in the last match of the
first round on Sunday, August 14 at the Ankara Hall. Japan had no difficulty in sweeping off the feet of Thai players in straight sets. They posted 25-16, 25-23, and 25-20 to claim victory over Thailand. It was third consecutive win of Team Japan. They collected
a total of nine points in first round and got hold of the top slot in ranking of Pool D.
Aya Horie was the real heroine of the match. She clipped 13 points from Japan and earned the status of top-scorer in the match. Yui Asahi also showed her attacking power and registered 11 points in first two sets of the game. She got injured in third set
and went outside the court. On the other side, Thailand’s Khatthalee Pinsuwan helped 12 points on 10 attacks and 2 serves.
Match was opened in a well organised way by Japanese side. Aya Horie of Japan started the offensive attack. Thailand seemed not ready for the heavy strike and couldn’t offer solid defence. Japanese girls clad in ‘flashy yellow shirts’ prevailed on the scene.
The ball frequently landed on Thai side and raised the Japanese score. Aya Horie and Sakura Doi formed a combo and developed good chemistry between them. They added quick points and covered the length of opening set in 22 minutes. Thailand suffered the loss
of first set by trailing behind with nine points (16-25).
First set of the match was full of errors from Thailand. They gave out 12 points on reception errors. Anyhow, they focused on the ball movement in second set and tried to overcome their flaws. The performance of Thailand improved in the second set. Charged-up
Japanese were not easy to handle as they made good use of their hands and threw tricky bump passes. The exchange of long rallies created a new feel in the game. The fans raised their voices in support of their favourite teams. As a result, the match turned
into a heated competition. Thailand stunned Japan with a great performance. Game took many ups and downs but finally Japan seized second-set win with 2-point margin. Thai players came a long way to defend them but couldn’t achieve the desired results.
Third set was another good display of volleyball by both teams. Japan had slight advantage over Thailand near the end and closed third set with 25-20 victory. Japan grabbed third win of the tournament, while Thailand failed to win any of its preliminary
matches.
The coaches and captains of both teams attended the post-match official conference of Federation International de Volleyball (FIVB). Japanese Coach Ichiro Hanzawa looked extremely happy about the match result. His initial target was achieved and Japanese
team won all its matches. He stated: “I’m happy that my team showed three good games so far. Tomorrow we’ll have a rest day to make some adjustments during practice, and then we’ll look forward to the next competition round.”
Meanwhile, the captain of Japanese squad Kaho Maruta commented, “I feel very happy after our third consecutive win. We’ll do our best to even improve our level for the second round.”
Thailand’s coach Jarun Niemtuptim said, “We played quite well today, trying to put Japan to their limits. I’m satisfied. My players lack of experience, it’s their first time they play abroad.”
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