Thailand gun down Vietnam
Reigning champions Thailand cleared their first hurdle in the 16th Asian Women's Senior Volleyball Championship when they thrashed Vietnam 25-15 27-25 25-8 in the opening Pool B match yesterday at the NTU Sport Centre in Taiwan.
A total of 13 teams are taking part in the 16th edition. Hosts Taiwan, Iran and Indonesia are in Pool A, while defending champions Thailand, Vietnam and Australia are in Pool B. Pool C comprises former 11-time champions China, Kazakhstan, North Korea and India, with Japan, South Korea and Sri Lanka in Pool D.
Turkmenistan, drawn in Group D against Japan on the opening day, pulled out from the continental tournament at the eleventh hour when they failed to get air tickets to Taiwan after arriving in Bangkok.
Against Vietnam, the team they had beaten in the previous four SEA Games finals, Thailand fielded a strong line-up including Pleumjit Thinkaow and Onuma Sittirak.
"My players did a good job today. They played according to the plan. I first thought that our first match would be much tougher than at the Asian Women's Club Championship in Vietnam recently. We struggled to beat them 3-2. I thought they would come back stronger this time. It was a surprise," Thailand head coach Kiattipong Radchatagriengkai said.
"The second set was very tough. Vietnam played quite well with fast spikes and blocks. Fortunately, my players learned how to cope with them. The third set was very easy because they made too many mistakes, while our substitutes exhibited some good form," he said. "We next take on Australia. It should be another easy job, but we won't be underestimating them. We will try our best to beat them in straight sets."
Elsewhere, Kazakhstan outclassed India 3-1 (22-25 27-25 25-19 25-10) and South Korea beat Sri Lanka 3-0.
The meet serves as the qualification tournament for the FIVB World Cup in Japan from November 8 to14.
