Thailand begins16th Asian Women’s Volleyball Championship with win over Vietnam
The defending champions Thailand began the Asian Women’s Volleyball Championship with a match against Vietnam on Thursday, September 15. They faced off with their South East Asian arch-rivals and won in straight sets of 25-15, 27-25, 25-8. The National Taiwan
University Gymnasium hosted the action-packed fixture as Thailand bagged the first win in Pool B and moved to the top position in pool standings.
First set
Team Vietnam started passionately. They attempted back to back attacks and put away early points. However, Thailand produced forceful counter-attacks in response and proved its superiority on the centre court. Onuma Sittirak of Thailand capped consecutive
runs via her prolific shots and pushed Vietnamese girls behind. Thailand picked up the lead and tried to stretch the gap of points. They displayed pretty good effort and didn’t commit any silly mistakes. On the other side of the net, Vietnam went too down
and seemed to have lost momentum which it showed in the beginning of the first set. Thai Team took full advantage of the situation and continued dominating the game. They inched their way to the end and sealed first set victory with 25-15.
Second set
There was immense pressure on Vietnam after dropping the opening set but they opened the following set with a renewed determination. Their spirited effort and hard work allowed them to take lead in the second set. Thailand trailed behind with a difference
of two points at the first technical timeout, 6-8. Good serves and attack efficiency further helped Vietnam to maintain its lead up till the second technical timeout. Thailand struggled to chase the score but couldn’t prove its excellence as the defending
champion until the ending moments of set. Thailand first seized set points at 24-23 but Vietnam hit the equalizer at 25-all. It was an interesting scenario as there was no telling about the potential outcome of the match. Both teams seemed to be under great
stress. Anyhow, Thailand sustained the pressure and made the difference by capturing second set at 27-25.
Third set
Success in second set boosted the morale of Thai players. They did not face much difficulty in leading the score in third set. Onuma S. continued with her smart tips and deadly spikes. This time, Thailand restricted the opponent to low score from very start
of the set and influenced them by all means. Vietnamese players looked visibly exhausted in third set and couldn’t resist to heavy strike of Thailand. They ended up with the final score of 8, while Thailand announced match victory by achieving match points
with 25-8 on board.
Next up
Thailand will face Australia on third day of the tournament, while Vietnam is scheduled to take on Australia on Friday.
Tags: