>>> Asian Women's U23 Volleyball Championship kicks off in Hanoi
Leaving the defeat to title candidates DPR Korea in the semi-finals behind them, hosts Vietnam entered the third-place playoff match at Gia Lam Gymnasium, Hanoi, on Sunday with great determination to take the bronze home.
The battle between neighbours is considered a test for both young teams of the two volleyball powerhouses in the region before the 30th Southeast Asian (SEA) Games, to be held in the Philippines later this year.
The fact that Vietnamese women's volleyball teams have failed to Thai rivals in many official competitions has been the driving force for coach Nguyen Tuan Kiet's players to rewrite history.
Under the cheers of home fans, the Vietnamese girls entered the game with great confidence. However, they suffered from errors and a lack of communication while Thailand quickly proved their strength, creating a lot of difficulties for the hosts through quick, simple but effective playing. That’s why the first set ended with a comfortable 25-14 win in favour of the Thai side.
 |
Vietnamese and Thai players in action during their third-place playoff match at Gia Lam Gymnasium in Hanoi on Sunday. (Photo: Asian Volleyball Confederation)
In the second set, coach Nguyen Tuan Kiet suddenly changed half of his squad. Tran Tu Linh, Hoang Thi Kieu Trinh and Doan Thi Lam Oanh all played well after being sent on the court. Vietnam upped their tempo and made few mistakes compared to the first set to claim the second one with a hard fought 25-22 win.
Cheered on by home fans packing the competition venue, Vietnam roared in the third set and bagged a 25-21 win for a 2-1 advantage.
Thailand poured everything in the fourth set aimed at levelling the score but the game was again claimed by Vietnam, as they took control from the beginning to race to a 21-13 lead, before winning the set at 25-14, thus wrapping up the match with the bronze medal, the same result they achieved in Thailand two years ago.
 |
Vietnamese girls celebrate during the third-place playoff against Thailand. (Photo: Asian Volleyball Confederation)
Claiming the top three finish at the continental tournament for the second consecutive time is a premise for Vietnam women's volleyball to dream of a strong transformation at the SEA Games later this year, where they have had to stand behind Thailand in the past eight editions.
In the final match yesterday, China powered past DPR Korea 3-1 in a highly-anticipated clash to claim their second title at the Asian Women’s U23 Championship, following their debut success in 2015. China were the only unbeaten team at this year’s tournament and their only set loss was in the quarterfinals against hosts Vietnam.
The 2019 Asian Women’s U23 Volleyball Championship attracted 13 teams from Australia, China, Hong Kong (China), India, Kazakhstan, Macao (China), Maldives, New Zealand, DPR Korea, Taiwan (China), Sri Lanka, Thailand and hosts Vietnam.
They played in the round-robin format in the group stage and in the knockout format from the semi-finals.
