Thai spikers eye last four after brushing aside Vietnam
Nakhon Ratchasima - Thailand overwhelmed Vietnam in straight sets in an all-Asean battle to enhance their chances of taking on a lower-ranked team in tomorrow's knockout quarter-finals of the 17th Asian Senior Women's Volleyball Championship.
The convincing 25-11 25-15 25-15 victory over Vietnam, a team they have beaten six straight times at the SEA Games, left world No 16 and current AVC Cup holders Thailand on six points at the end of their Pool E round-robin campaign.
Last night’s late match between world No 3 Japan and unbeaten Kazakhstan will decide the final top-three standings and also who Thailand will face in the first knockout match.
The Pool E winners will take on Iran, while the runners-up will play Taiwan. If Thailand finish in the top two, they are likely to be handed an easier task against either Taiwan or Iran. Finish third, however, and the Thais will likely face a daunting test against South Korea.
The good news is that Thailand’s tournament statistics give them a count-back advantage should the top teams in Pool E finish level on points. The likely outcome for the Thais is a top-two finish, boosting their chances of an “easy” knockout draw.
Winners of the knockout matches will advance to the semi-finals and also guarantee themselves berths at next year’s World Grand Prix.
“After beating Vietnam, we have six points in Pool E. If we finish second, we will take on Taiwan, third in Pool F. If so, we have a good possibility of advancing to the semi-finals,” Thailand’s head coach Kiattipong Radchatagriengkai said.
“However, without knowing which team will win Pool E, it is very difficult to calculate our chances in the next round. What I can say is that we will try our best no matter what team we play.
“Fingers crossed, I am hoping for the best and a semi-finals berth, which is our initial target and will guarantee us a berth at next year’s World Grand Prix.”
Meanwhile, ThaiBev yesterday gave the Thailand women's volleyball team Bt500,000 cash incentives as the team performed superbly in stunning Japan, world NO.3 and London Olympics bronze medallists, 3-1 on Monday.
