Hanoi, Vietnam, July 17, 2019 – Pattiya Juangjan and Thanacha Sooksod scored 15 points apiece as Thailand powered past Kazakhstan in thrilling three-setter 25-17 25-20 25-22 in their top eight playoff match in Pool F at the 3rd Asian Women’s U23 Volleyball Championship at Gia Lam Gymnasium here on Wednesday.
Thanacha Sooksod’s aggregate 15 points came from 13 attacks and 2 blocks, with Pattiya Jungian had 12 attack points, 2 block and one ace. Kristina Belova led Kazakhstan with 15 points.
Thailand came out in full strength in the opening set, with Thanacha, Wipawee Srithong and Pattiya in particular on good form, while Pool D winners Kazakhstan, which have yet lost a single set to their respective rivals, were led by left-hander Zhanna Syroyeshkina and powerful Kristina Belova.
Kazakhstan made a poor start with erratic attacking, allowing the Thai side to stay in front with a 7-point clear at 10-3. Pattiya turned a smashing machine as she unleashed a series of fierce attacks to help Thailand widen the gap to 22-16 and went on their superb form to win the first set 25-17.
The second set was more thrilling as both sides gave it all out. Some more sensational defending from Thailand kept them comfortable in front 16-10. However, Kazakhstan gradually pulled their game together, with Zhanna Syroyeshkina and Saltanat Sapargaliyeva carrying out some well-placed serves and Kristina picking up some crucial points through her spectacular attacks for the narrowed 18-20 gap. However, Thailand obviously excelled in attacks, while their consistent play was also working out pretty well. They never looked back from that point to win the thrilling set 25-20.
Going down two straight sets, Kazakhstan maintained their poise and fought back hard in the third set, where they chased from trailing 2-5 to catch up with the formidable Thais 8-8 and went ahead 9-8, looking to build on this positive result as they faced the tough Thai side. After trading blows to vie for crucial points, Thailand moved ahead 20-19, with Pattiya putting the hammer down from mdi court. Still, Kazakstan performed superbly to foil the Thais’ attempts as they caught up with the rivals 21-21. Thailand held their nerves and played more confidently to win on home stretch 25-22 for the eventual 3-0 win.
“I’m satisfied with the win and the way my team played in this match against Kazakhstan. As far as I’m concerned, Kazakhstan are a strong team with hard attacks we could not underestimate. However, we performed well according to game plan. Only some substitutions still showed a bit lack of confidence and lost concentration in some moments. I think my team came up with improved performance as they could not maintain their form in the first match against DPR Korea. We next take on Hong Kong China and some substations will be sent to replace key players. I hope they can play well like they did in this match,” Thailand head coach Chamnan Dokmai commented after the match.
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