Hai Duong City, Vietnam, July 18, 2017 – Japan University Team stamped their authority over the 14th International Women’s Volleyball Tournament VTV Cup Ton Hoa Sen 2017 after brushing off Indonesia in comfortable straight sets 25-14 25-19 25-14 in the final showdown at the Hai Duong Gymnasium on Saturday.
The annual invitation tournament, which was held between July 8-15, attracted a total of seven teams to vie for the top honour. They comprised Vietnam, Beijing Sport University from China and Suwon from Korea in Pool A, with Vietnam Juniors, Thailand U18, Japan University and Indonesia in Pool B.
At the end of the pool round-robin preliminaries between July 8 and 10, hosts Vietnam topped Pool A with 6 points from straight two wins, followed by Suwon with 2 points from one win against one loss. Beijing Sport University came in third position in the pool with 1 point from two losses in a row.
Japan University captured the top spot in Pool B after collecting 9 points from three consecutive wins. Indonesia finished second with 6 points from 2 wins against one loss. Vietnam Juniors and Thailand U18 came in third and fourth places with 3 points and no point respectively.
With only top two teams from each pool advancing to the semi-finals, Japan University next went up against hosts Vietnam in the first semi-final clash, with Indonesia battling it out with Suwon in the other match.
Beijing Sport University, Vietnam Juniors and Thailand U18 were relegated for 5th-7th classification which saw the Chinese side pull off a one-sided 25-14 25-17 25-13 win over the Thai counterparts.
Thailand U18 team suffered their second loss after going down to Vietnam Juniors in hard-fought five-setter 12-25 21-25 25-20 25-23 12-15 to finish a disappointing 7th place, while Beijing Sport University powered past Vietnam Juniors 25-22 25-21 25-14 in the 5th-6th playoff.
In the thrilling semi-finals, Indonesia shuttered the home fans’ dreams of playing in the final match after producing a magnificent come-from-behind 3-2 (21-25 20-25 25-23 25-19 15-12) victory over Vietnam, while Japan University proved too strong for Suwon to thrash the Korean side in comfortable straight sets 25-21 25-11 25-13.
Despite failing in their attempts of reaching the final, Vietnam, powered by ace spiker Nguyen Thi Ngoc Hoa and Tran Thi Thanh Thuy, still had something to celebrate as the host side outclassed Suwon in straight set 25-13 25-23 25-23 to claim the third place.
In the final showdown, formidable Japan University remained invincible as they handed Indonesia the second loss in the tournament by beating the rivals in straight sets 25-14 25-19 25-14.
Powerful Santini Manganang became a major force of Indonesia to be reckoned with in the upcoming South East Asian Games volleyball competition in Malaysia as she led the Indonesians with 15 points including 14 kills from 36 attempts. She became the only player in the team who scored double digit points.
However, as Indonesia made use of the spectacular attacks from Santini Manganang, Japan University read the rivals’ game plan well and came up with solid blocks from Ayaka Suki, Yuka Imamura and Mami Yokota for the sensational win. Yuka Imamuara scored a team-high 17 points including 12 deadly attack hits from 31 attempts and 3 kill blocks. Ayaka Sugi and Mami Yokota contributed 5 and 2 points respectively through their blocking efforts.
Japan University were crowned the eventual champions to land the VTV Cup, while Indonesia took silver. Vietnam had to be content with the third position, while Korea’s Suwon finished fourth place.
Final Results
5th-6th: Beijing Sport University (China) b Vietnam Juniors 3-0 (25-22 25-21 25-14)
Bronze medal match: Vietnam b Suwon (Korea) 3-0 (25-13 25-23 25-23)
Gold medal match: Japan University (Japan) b Indonesia 3-0 (25-14 25-19 25-14)
Final Rankings
Japan
Indonesia
Vietnam
Suwon (Korea)
Beijing Sport University (China)
Vietnam Juniors
Thailand U18
Individual Awards
Best Outside Spikers
Santini Manganang (Indonesia)
Tran Thi Thanh Thuy
Best Middle Blockers
Siti Wilda (Indonesia)
Nguyen Thi Ngoc Hoa
Best Opposite Player
Misaki Yomaguchi (Japan)
Best Setter
Mika Shibata (Japan)
Best Libero
Manami Kojima
Most Valuable Player
Yuka Imamura
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