Jiangmen, China, July 1, 2024 – Thailand registered first victory at the 22nd Asian Women’s U20 Volleyball Championship after demolishing Vietnam in straight sets 25-23, 25-22, 25-13 in their opening Pool C match at the Jiangmen Sports Center Gymnasium here on Monday.
The win was a repeated feat for Thailand as they had already beaten Vietnam 3-1 in the 7th-8th playoff match at the VTV9-Binh Dien Cup International Women’s Volleyball Tournament in Vietnam early this year.
Outside hitter Warisara Seetaloed delivered 17 points from 15 kills, one block and one ace for Thailand. Opposite Papatchaya Phontham and outside hitter Tanyapron Seeso added 10 and 8 points respectively. Outside hitter and skipper Nguyen Lan Vy scored 12 points including 10 attacks from 33 attempts on the Vietnam’s loss.
Both sides made a strong start in the first set, but after leveling at 4-4, Vietnam broke away, utilizing the solid blocks by the 185cm Pham Quynh Huang and Nguyen Phuong Quynh to move the team ahead 7-4. The Thai girls clawed their way back to even it at 9-9, but they still found the going gets tough as Vietnam still excelled in their defensive system, orchestrated by outside hitter and skipper Nguyen Lan Vy and middle blocker Le Thuy Linh.
As Vietnam extended the lead to 14-9, Thailand shuffled their lineup to improve their fortunes in this set, sending in outside hitter Tanyapron Seeso to strengthen the team’s offense. She played a vital role for the team’s comeback, penetrating the Vietnamese defence with her powerful attacks. As Thailand trailed close behind 22-23, outside hitter Warisara Seetaloed fired an off-the-block kill to level it at 23-23. A service error from Dang Thi Hong gave Thailand the set point before a spike from Pham Quynh Huong was efficiently blocked by Tanyapron for the Thailand’s hard-fought 25-23 win.
After a very difficult start to trail Vietnam all the way in the first set, Thailand improved on their offensive mobility in the second set. Their form lived up to expectations as they took an initial lead with a four-point clear at 12-8 before widening it to 20-15. However, shortly after that, the Thai girls temporarily lost their touch, allowing Vietnam attacking opportunities. The Vietnamese scored four points in a row to trail closely at 19-21, but their good show did not last long. Thailand went on their outstanding performance, with Warisara and Tanyaporn on fire in attack to clinch the thrilling set 25-22 for a commanding 2-0 lead.
The third set proved one-way traffic as Thailand led from start to finish. Thailand, powered by hard-hitting Warisara and left-hander Papatchaya Phontham, dominated the whole set, taking an advantage of Vietnam’s unforced mistakes to score crucial points. Leading by wide margin 22-10, Thailand remained strong offensively to win the set without much effort 25-13 for the eventual 3-0 win.
“We played nervously in the first set, while Vietnam prepared their team well in the opening match against us. They relied mostly on fast attacks, while we focused on our service. Thanks to the improved serves, we could come back at last. In the next two sets, we played more confidently in offense and service and that’s why we ran our attack game smoothly as planned,” Thailand head coach Kritideach Arjwichai commented on his team.
Despite some mistakes at the near end second set, we made a good start in the third set. We used our solid blocks to score more points in the third set and my girls played with confidence. The first win in this match lived up to my initial expectation as I think that a good start will help relieve any pressure of our team,” he added.
Vietnam will next take on Iran on Tuesday, with Thailand having a rest day.
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