Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand, August 30, 2023 – Determined Vietnam bounced back from two-set down to pull of their unprecedented victory against Korea in hard-fought five-set thriller in the 22nd Asian Senior Women’s Volleyball Championship at the 5,000-seater Chartchai Hall here on Wednesday.
Korea, current world No.35 and bronze medallists at the previous edition in 2019 on home soil, are seeking their unprecedented Asian title this time, but their campaign did not work out pretty well as they succumbed to first defeat at the hands of the AVC Challenge Cup winners Vietnam, going down 2-3 (25-22, 25-19, 23-25, 17-25, 13-15) win against world No.47 Vietnam.
Both sides came up with almost the same defensive tactics in the opening set. The battle started to heat up when the Koreans attacked spectacularly and the Vietnam defended effectively to blunt the rivals’ relentless attacks. At 20-20, both teams tried to get back in front, but they still leveled it at 22-22. However, to make short work of the Vietnamese, Korea scored three points in a row for the first-set win 25-22.
After holding 1-0 advantage, the Koreans continued their remarkable run in the second set. With Kang Sohwi and Lee Seonwoo on fire in attack, Korea captured the lead 21-19 and never looked back from then on to score four straight points to win the second set 25-19.
Fighting with their backs against wall, the Vietnamese poured everything they had in the must-win third set. After a see-saw battle, both teams were leveled at 23-23. However, Vietnam had some more left in their tank and they cruised on to win the hotly-contested set 25-23.
Winning one set boosted their confidence and the Vietnamese still relied on their impeccable defence and exceptional attacks from Tran Thi Thanh Thuy, sub-in Vi Thi Nhu Quynh and Hoang Thi Kieu Trinh in the fourth set. Leading with a six-point clear at 22-16, Vietnam allowed the tough Koreans only one more point to wrap up the set 25-17, forcing the tie-breaker to determine the eventual winners.
Korea regrouped in the decider and played cool under pressure to lead initially 6-3. The Vietnamese gradually clawed their way back to catch up with the rivals 6-6. Lee Seonwood fired some good shots, but it was too late to start some kind of a comeback as the Vietnamese widened the gap to 11-8. In this crucial moment, Korea gave their best, but their efforts were to no avail as the Vietnamese continued their brilliance to win the decider 15-13, with star spiker Tran Thi Thanh Thuy attacking powerfully to hand Vietnam the crucial last point of the set and match.
“It’s so surprising to win this match as we all knew that Korea are very strong with good serves. However, I admit that we had difficulty on reception. I feel very thankful to all my teammates. Sometimes, we faced difficult situations, but we helped each other. We fought together and we are now happy together with the results we had made. This is our first time ever that we beat the Koreans,” Vietnam team captain Tran Thi Thanh Thuy said after the match.
Tran Thi Thanh Thuy was the most productive player in Vietnam to score a match-high 25 points from 20 attacks and 5 blocks. Kang Sohwi led Korea with 20 points on the team’s losing effort.
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