Thailand's Chang take on Brazil's Sollys
Thailand's Chang have set their sights on defeating Brazil's Sollys Nestle Osasco in the opening match of the FIVB World Women's Club Volleyball Championship at the Aspire Ladies Sport Hall here today.
Six teams – Turkey’s VakifBank Telekom Istanbul, Kenya’s Kenya Prisons Nairobi and Dominican Republic’s Mirador Santo Domingo in Pool A and three-time Asian Club champions Chang, Sollys Nestle Osasco and Azerbaijan’s Rabita Baka in Pool B – are taking part in the 10-match star-studded tournament, with top prize of US$200,000.
The round-robin preliminaries started yesterday, but Chang, whose players are mostly the members of the national squad, are due to open their campaign today against Osasco at 10am (2pm Bangkok time).
The Brazilian side finished second last year, but this time key players such as Thaisa Menezes, Natalia Pereira and Jacqueline Carvalho are absent, giving Chang an advantage.
“They came much stronger last year and we were no match for them and went down in straight sets. This year, my players are far more experienced. They have been playing together in various tournaments. The Brazilians are missing many talented players.
I think we stand a better chance to fare well against them. We will try our best to beat them despite the fact that the Brazilians are not always easy opponents to play with,” Thai head coach Kiattipong Radchatagriengkai said.
“My players trained hard on tactics, receiving and digging. At the same time, we also focused on serves. We want them to eliminate unforced errors. If they can play confidently, I’m sure we have a chance to win,” he said.
“I don’t see the match ending in three sets. We will study their videotape and make good strategic plans for the match against them. It should be a tough match, anyway.”
According to the Thai head coach, the starting line-up in the opener against Brazil’s Osasco today remains unchanged with Wilavan Apinyapong and Onuma Sittirak being the mainstay. Also in the line-up will be Pleumjit Thinkaow, Malika Kanthong, Amporn Hyapha, Nootsara Tomkom and two libero players – Piyanut Pannoy and Wanna Buakaew.
The Chang-Osasco clash will be shown live through TrueSport 3 (Platinum package 103) from 2pm (Bangkok time) and rerun at 10.30pm. The live broadcast of the Thai match can be also visited at www.laola1.tv during the competition schedule.
