Hangzhou, China, July 4, 2023 – China, Japan, Thailand and Chinese Taipei continued their remarkable unbeaten streak following their straight-set victories against their respective rivals in the Classification 1st-8th Round on Day 4 of the 1st Asian Women’s U16 Volleyball Championship in Hangzhou, the capital city of Zhejiang Province and the host city for the upcoming Asian Games, on Tuesday.
In-form Thailand breezed past Uzbekistan in a completely lopsided battle 25-4, 25-7, 25-7 in Pool E at Linping Sports Centre Gymnasium, extending their wins to three in succession in this inaugural championship.
Captain and opposite hitter Thatsanawan Phaibun topped the leader’s charge with 13 points from 8 attacks and 5 aces for Thailand, while Natchaya Tahae and Chanidapa Chongcharoen added 8 points apiece.
The other Pool E encounter at the same venue saw China delight home fans with their comfortable straight-set 25-13, 25-14, 25-6 win against Kazakhstan.
Promising Yang Shuming chipped in with 15 points including 10 attacks and 4 aces for China, while Han Wanshuo and Chen Xiaohui kept good company to add 13 and 11 points respectively. No Kazakh player made double-digit marker, with Violetta Volga leading Kazakhstan with 8 points on the team’s losing effort.
“We played a little bit tough in the beginning today, but later we gave it all out,” Kuang Qi, head coach of China, commented at the Mixed Zone. “The cheering home crowd was a big boost for our team. We felt their passion and enthusiasm and this helped us a lot. This is what we need as hosts.”
Jarlagassov Timur, team manager of Kazakhstan, said after the match, “Despite the loss, my girls performed well up to our level in the first two sets. But China are a very strong team. It is a good lesson to learn our mistakes from China.”
In Pool F, Japan proved too strong for Macao, China to brush off the lower-ranked rivals in one-sided affair 25-9, 25-12, 25-4 at China Textile City Sports Centre Gymnasium.
Middle blocker and captain Yukuzi Baba contributed 11 points from 7 attacks, one block and 3 aces for Japan in this match.
“We gradually improved during the whole process. However, we should have done better than this. I would give only 6 of 10 points for my team’s performance in this match. Regarding the game plan for our next match, I believe serving is very important for us. At the same time, the offensive combination, particularly our blocking and digging remains our key strength. We want to show our good defense to the audience,” said Daichi Saegusa, head coach of Japan.
The other match in Pool F also turned one-way traffic as Chinese Taipei put it past spirited Iran in comfortable three-setter 25-15, 25-10, 25-15).
Middle blockers Ma Te-jung and Wu Tzu-hua scored 9 points apiece for Chinese Taipei, while Afzouni Laya delivered only 6 points on the Iran’s loss.
“My girls were a bit nervous and could not give their best in the beginning. But they gradually pulled their game together after that. I am satisfied with their performance both defensively and offensively. Almost everyone on court has met my expectations,” said Hou Yahui, head coach of Chinese Taipei, after the match.
Meanwhile, in the classification round for 9th-12th places earlier, Hong Kong, China prevailed over Mongolia 3-1 (25-21, 25-20, 17-25, 25-15) to clinch their first win in the playoff.
Outside Hitter Sum Yuen Tang scored a match-high 26 points for Hong Kong, China including 25 attacks, while Kai Yu Lin handed the team additional 16 points. Altantogoo Amarbayasgalan led Mongolia with 11 points.
At the end of Day 4, China led the pack in Pool E with 6 points from two straight wins, followed by Thailand with just one point behind from the similar performance of two wins in a row. Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan have yet won a match to come in third and fourth places with respective 2 points and no point awarded.
In Pool F, Chinese Taipei and Japan have yet lost a set to their respective opponents. Both teams had 6 points apiece from two consecutive wins. However, Chinese Taipei fared better to finish on top of the Pool, thanks to their better points ratio.
Wednesday, July 5 is the rest day. The competition resumes on Thursday, the final day of the classification round for Pool E and Pool F.
Thailand will go up against China in a thrilling clash on Thursday to determine the Pool E winners. Nonetheless, both sides are quite certain of finishing top two in Pool E which has already guaranteed them semifinal berths. Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan will also fight it out for a better position in the next round.
In Pool F, Chinese Taipei and Japan set up a highly-anticipated clash of the two unbeaten teams on Thursday to vie for the Pool F winners, while Iran will take on Macao, China to fight for a better place in the next round.
In the classification round for 9th-12th places, Hong Kong, China led the charge with 3 points from one win against Mongolia. The Mongolians will next face off against Australia on Thursday, with the Aussies taking on Hong Kong, China the following day.
Semifinals will be held on Friday, July 7 and the finals on Saturday, July 8. Top three teams from this championship will qualify for the next year’s FIVB Volleyball Girl’s U17 World Championship.
MATCH RESULTS
Saturday, July 1
10:30 Japan v Australia 3-0 (25-6, 25-12, 25-18)
10:30 Thailand v Hong Kong, China 3-0 (25-14, 25-16, 25-16)
19:00 Opening Ceremony
19:30 China v Mongolia 3-0 (25-11, 25-9, 25-16)
Sunday, July 2
10:30 Kazakhstan v Thailand 2-3 (25-23, 11-25, 14-25, 25-23, 8-15)
10:30 Iran v Japan 0-3 (16-25, 19-25, 20-25)
15:00 Uzbekistan v China 0-3 (7-25, 10-25, 8-25)
Monday, July 3
10:30 Mongolia v Uzbekistan 0-3 (11-25, 18-25, 22-25)
10:30 Hong Kong, China v Kazakhstan 2-3 (31-29, 25-23, 11-25, 14-25, 15-17)
15:00 Australia v Iran 0-3 (15-25, 20-25, 16-25)
15:00 Chinese Taipei v Macao, China 3-0 (25-9, 25-7, 25-4)
Tuesday, July 4
10:30 Mongolia v Hong Kong, China 1-3 (21-25, 20-25, 25-17, 15-25)
15:00 Thailand v Uzbekistan 3-0 (25-4, 25-7, 25-7)
19:00 China v Kazakhstan 3-0 (25-13, 25-14, 25-6)
15:00 Japan v Macao, China 3-0 (25-9, 25-12, 25-4)
19:00 Chinese Taipei v Iran 3-0 (25-15, 25-10, 25-15)
Wednesday, July 5
Rest Day
MATCH SCHEDULE
(All local times)
Thursday, July 6
10:30 Mongolia v Australia
15:00 Uzbekistan v Kazakhstan
19:00 China v Thailand
15:00 Iran v Macao, China
19:00 Japan v Chinese Taipei
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