Chang to face Rabita Baku
Thailand's Chang take on star-studded Rabita Baku of Azerbaijan in a decisive encounter today in the FIVB World Women's Club Volleyball Championship here.
The Thai team, who went down to Sollys Nestle Osasco on Sunday, has to beat Rabita Baku to escape an early exit from the competition. Regarded as the strongest team in the championship, Rabita Baku finished runners-up in the European Club Championship. Among the 12 players in the Azerbaijan-based side, 10 are foreign including five Serbians and one each from Bulgaria, Turkey, Croatia, Germany and Ukraine.
Of the two Azerbaijanis, the team captain Natalya Mammadova is Ukraine-born. Rabita Baku have three players who competed in the recent World Grand Prix including Natasa Krsmanovic and Silvija Popovic, who helped Serbia capture the third place.
“I think Rabita Baku are the strongest in the championship. After watching them on tapes, I must admit that it is not easy to beat them. They are tall and their blocking and spiking is quite solid. To beat them, you have to stop Mammadova. She attacks hard and blocks well, making use of her height advantage,” said Thai head coach Kiattipong Radchatagriengkai.
“We have never played Azerbaijan, but this team is full of Serbians, who played us in the World Grand Prix. They played aggressively with good defence. However, I hope my players will do their best. To beat them is a tough mission, but nothing is impossible.”
Six teams are contesting here. Turkey’s VakifBank Telecom Istanbul, Dominican Republic’s Mirador Santo Domingo and Kenya’s Kenya Prisons are in Pool A, with Azerbaijan’s Rabita Baka, Brazil’s Sollys Nestle Osasco and Thailand’s Chang in Pool B.
With only top two teams in each pool advancing to the semi-finals, Thailand, who already have one defeat against their names, must win the match against Rabita Baku at 7pm Bangkok time. TrueSport 103 will televise the match live, while the live broadcast can also be watched via www.laola1.tv.
Only one match was contested yesterday. Dominican Republic’s Mirador Santo Domingo came back from two sets down 25-20 25-20 to win the remaining three sets 25-20 26-24 15-7 in a hard-fought battle against Kenya Prisons in Pool A.
