Jiangmen, China, , July 6, 2024 – Vietnam bounced back from the first set down to beat Kazakhstan in dramatic four sets 22-25, 25-20, 25-18, 25-15 to finish third place in Pool E in the round of last 8 of the 22nd Asian Women’s U20 Volleyball Championship at the Jiangmen Sports Center Gymnasium on Saturday.
Outside hitter Dang Thi Hong scored a match-high 37 points, all in kill, for Vietnam, while fellow outside hitter Nguyen Lan Vy and opposite Pham Quynh Huong added 9 and 7 points respectively. Opposite Ayaulym Turdykhanova led Kazakhstan with 17 points including 16 kills from 32 attempts.
Vietnam and Kazakhstan locked horns in a tight first set, which saw both sides fight it all out with not more than two points in gap between them. As Kazakhstan heavily relied on their outsider and skipper Sofiya Gorbacheva and powerful Amina Kyrykbayeva to take the narrow 13-12 lead, Vietnam counter-attacked well, with hard-hitting Dang Thi Hong and middle blocker Le Nhu Anh leading in team’s scoring efforts.
At 21-21, Kazakhstan made the most of their attacks to surge ahead with a two-point clear at 24-22 before Yekaterina Seleznyova produced an off-speed kill that touched a Vietnamese player before landing out of bounds. Kazakhstan took the hard-fought set 25-22.
The second set remained an intense battle with both sides struggling to regain control. Vietnam captured an early 4-1 lead, but Kazakhstan hit back gallantly to catch up at 9-9. The score was leveled again at 15-15 and 17-17. However, Vietnam started to play better shortly after that. They fought on, attacking powerfully and blocking solidly to advance 21-19. Kamilla Sultanbek handed Kazakhstan one more point before Vietnam showed no mercy to their rivals to score four points in succession for the set win 25-20.
Vietnam still excelled in their offense in the third set, with the 175cm-tall Dang Thi Hong overcoming the taller blockers with her aggressive attacks. Despite a strong challenge from Kazakhstan, Vietnam remained solid in their defence. Leading 21-16 for good, the Vietnamese girls continued their superb form to win the set 25-18.
Holding a 2-1 advantage, Vietnam came up in the fourth set confidently and consistently, taking an eight-point clear to lead 16-8. Kazakhstan put their acts together to reduce the gap 12-20, but their comeback attempt was in vain as the Vietnamese cruised on to win the set 25-15, with opposite Pham Quynh Huong hammering a match winner.
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