Bangkok, Thailand, February 18, 2024 – Nakhon Ratchasima Huione QminC VC made history on Sunday to become the Thailand’s first volleyball club to sweep both men’s and women’s titles in the Thailand Volleyball League for two times in succession, with their men’s team producing comeback 3-2 win against Diamond Food Fine Chef – Air Force in the thrilling showdown for the remarkable undefeated 2023-24 season.
In the men’s event, reigning champions Nakhon Ratchasima, fielding a strong lineup including Thailand national team player Kissada Nilsawai and three import players – Islomjon Sobirov and Azizbek Kuchkorov from Uzbekistan and Halim Farhan from Indonesia, overcame a dismal first-set loss to power past the gallant Diamond Food Fine Chef – Air Force in thrilling five-setter 16-25, 25-21, 25-11, 21-25, 15-6 to retain their title.
The invincible run in the three-month-long tournament stretched the team’s victory to nine in total. Nakhon Ratchasima, which finished impressive fourth place in the 2021 Asian Men’s Club Championship on home soil to their name, captured their unprecedented Thailand League title in the 2007-08 season and continued their brilliant performance to repeat their astonishing feats in following eight seasons – 2012-13, 2013-14, 2014-15, 2017-18, 2019-20, 2020-21, 2022-23 and 2023-24.
Struggling to live up to their expectations, Nakhon Ratchasima made a poor start to go down 16-25 in the opening set of the showdown against the well-organized Diamond Food, but turned the electric atmosphere in the Nimibutr Gymnasium into one of absolute joys with 25-21, 25-11 wins in the next two sets.
Diamond Food, also steered by three import players – Russian Iurii Kruzhkov, Japanese Kouhei Yanagisawa and Indonesian Yuda Maerdiansyah Putra, were well aware that they needed to approach them with the right mindset, if they wanted to emerge with the win in the fourth set.
Thus, Diamond Food came up big in the set and were incredibly dominant to lead commandingly 23-19. As Nakhon Ratchasima tightened their defence to gain one crucial point, the 200cm-tall Kruzhkov produced an effective drop shot to hand Diamond Food the set point at 24-20. The team allowed the strongest rivals only one more point to wrap up the set 25-21 and even it at 2-2.
In the tie-breaker, Nakhon Ratchasima, riding the momentum and the inspiration coming from the fantastic fans on the stands, broke away on a 4-1 run and never looked back. The lead was as wide as 9 points, with Kissada and Sobirov on fire to help Nakhon Ratchasima widen the gap to 14-5. Yanagisawa attacked well to save one match point for Diamond Food. Still, their comeback effort was short-lived as the title-holders took one last point 15-6 to eventually end the rivals’ challenge
It was the third showdown win against Diamond Food in the Thailand League history as Nakhon Ratchasima had already beaten the same rivals in the first two final clashes in the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons.
However, Diamond Food were also no stranger to the Thailand League title as they had already emerged as the 2021-2022 champions following their exceptional 3-0 win against Phitsanulok VC in the final match.
Meanwhile, in the third-place playoff match on Saturday, Phitsanulok VC, champions in the 2015-2016 season and last year’s silver medallists, recovered from the disappointing first-set loss to overcome Kohkood Cabana AforS in hard-fought five-set thriller 17-25, 25-23, 26-24, 22-25, 15-12 for bronze medal.
In the do-or-die semifinals earlier, Nakhon Ratchasima brushed off Kohkood Cabana in straight sets 25-22, 25-17, 25-18, while Diamond Food followed suit to pull off stunning 3-0 (25-22, 25-17, 25-22) victory against Phitsanulok VC.
In the women’s competition, defending champions Nakhon Ratchasima, which stopped the Diamond Food’s unbeaten run in the 2023-24 season after dramatic 3-1 win in the Final Four, captured their sixth title in the Thailand Volleyball League on Sunday following their 3-0 (25-18, 25-17, 25-18) rout of the strong opponents in the Sunday’s rematch of the previous season’s final.
Nakhon Ratchasima were strong with the likes of two Thailand national team players – Sasipapron Janthawisut and Jarasporn Bundasak, veteran Onuma Sittirak and three import players – American middle blocker Briana Holman, Philippine middle blocker Celine Domingo and Japanese libero Kotoe Inoue. Diamond Food also had two import players in Azerbaijan-Russian opposite Anastasiya Gurbanova and Japanese Misaki Yamauchi. Also the team’s mainstays were hard-hitting Kuttika Kaewpin, Sutadta Jarawat and Kaewkalaya Kamulthala.
In the first set, Nakhon Ratchasima made a strong start to lead 18-12 and still took control of the scoreboard with a 23-18 edge. Sasipapron landed a kill to deliver the set point before an Anastasiya’s hit went to the net for the 25-18 win in favor of Nakhon Ratchasima.
The second set was still dominated by Nakhon Ratchasima as they quickly built up a solid 14-8 lead. With Sasipapron, Jarasporn and Holman on fire, Nakhon Ratchasima kept the upper hand through the rest of the set. As the team were leading 24-16 for good, Onuma hammered an off-the-block swing for 25-17 to continue the Nakhon Ratchasima’s party.
Both sides locked horns early in the beginning of the third set as they were tied at 8-8, but Nakhon Ratchasima were able to put their act back together and started to break away. Sasipapron, Onuma and Holman kept adding break points and gradually extended their lead to 23-17 and 24-18 before Holman scored a 25-18 third set winner with a magnificent overpass hit.
For Nakhon Ratchasima, it was a repeated success over Diamond Food in this season as they had already become the first and the only team to stop the winning streak of the tough rivals in round of the Final Four. The Sunday’s convincing straight-set win handed Nakhon Ratchasima two titles in a row and six overall in the Thailand Volleyball League history (2005-06, 2006-07, 2013-14, 2018-19 and 2022-23 and 2023-24).
In the third-place playoff earlier, Supreme Chonburi E-Tech, former three-time Thailand League champions and successive two-time Asian Women’s Club winners, proved superiority over Khon Kaen University to brush off the rivals in convincing straight sets 25-15, 25-13, 25-21 to claim bronze medal.
FINAL RESULTS
MEN
Semifinals
Nakhon Ratchasima b Kohkood Cabana 3-0 (25-22, 25-17, 25-18)
Diamond Food b Phitsanulok VC 3-0 (25-22, 25-17, 25-22)
Bronze-medal match
Phitsanulok VC b Kohkood Cabana 3-2 (17-25, 25-23, 26-24, 22-25, 15-12)
Gold-medal match:
Nakhon Ratchasima b Diamond Food 3-2 (16-25, 25-21, 25-11, 21-25, 15-6)
WOMEN
Semifinals
Nakhon Ratchasima b Khon Kaen University 3-0 (25-11, 26-24, 25-14)
Diamond Food b Supreme 3-2 (15-25, 16-25, 27-25, 25-21, 15-8)
Bronze-medal match
Supreme b Khon Kaen University 3-0 (25-15, 25-13, 25-21)
Gold-medal match
Nakhon Ratchasima b Diamond Food 3-0 (25-18, 25-17, 25-18)
FINAL STANDING
MEN
1. Nakhon Ratchasima Huione QminC VC
2. Diamond Food Fine Chef – Air Force
3. Phitsanulok VC
4. Kohkood Cabana A4S
5. Muangphon VC
6. Nakhonratchasima College Kamtaleso
7. Rangsit University VC
8. Kasetsart VC
WOMEN
1. Nakhon Ratchasima Huione QminC VC
2. Diamond Food Fine Chef – Air Force
3. Supreme TIP Chonburi E-Tech
4. Khon Kaen University- Khon Kaen Star
5. Nakornnont
6. Kaennakorn – Thailand National Sports University
7. Rangsit University VC
8. EUREKA – Sisaket VC
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