Iran, Philippines, Taiwan, Kazakhstan taste first wins on Day 1

Only the eventual winners in this top-flight tournament will represent Asia at the next year’s FIVB Women’s Club Volleyball World Championship. At the previous edition last year in Hanam, Vietnam, Thailand’s Bangkok Glass, powered by superstar spiker Pleumjit Thinkaow, Wilawan Apinyapong on borrowed time, Pornpun Guedpard and Jarusporn Bandasak, four players at the Thailand senior national team, emerged as the first-ever club team from Thailand, and not the Thailand national squad, to win the Asian crown.

 

The Koreans will next go up against reigning champions Bangkok Glass on Sunday, September 4.

 

Meanwhile, Altay VC of Kazakhstan proved too strong for Indonesia’s Jakarta Elektrik in comfortable straight sets 25-12 25-17 25-17. The Indonesian club will next be pitted against Japan’s NEC Red Rockets on Monday.

 

Taiwan’s Taichung Bank also registered their first win in the tournament after outclassing Malaysia in straight sets 25-15 25-22 25-21. Malaysia will take on Ba’ Yi Shenzheng of China on Monday.

 

Foton Pilipinas delighted home fans with a one-sided 3-0 (25-20 25-14 25-10) win over Kwai Tsing of Hong Kong.

 

The much taller Foton squad brushed off a shaky start and went to their locals, fielding American import Lindsay Stalzer only in the opening set before pulling out their other reinforcement Ariel Usher midway in the second set.  

   

Captain Alyja Daphne Santiago finished with 12 points anchored on seven kills, with four kill blocks and an ace for Foton Pilipinas. Veteran Jovelyn Gonzaga had 11 markers while Abigail Marano scored eight in just two sets of action for the Foton Pilipinas, which peppered Hong Kong with 46 kills.

 

Stalzer and Rondina chipped in seven points each for the host club, which will face Thongtin Lien Viet Post Bank of Vietnam on Sunday at 14:00 local time, to close the preliminary round for a win that will formalize the Filipinos’ entry to the quarter-finals.