Tianjin finds the going tough against Zhetyssu

The competition has attracted nine teams. Iran (Gitipasand), Japan (Toray Arrows), Vietnam (VTV Binh Dien Long An), Myanmar (Asia World VC) and hosts Thailand (Chang) are in Pool A, while China (Tianjin Bridgestone), Kazakhstan (Zhetyssu), Malaysia (Santa Barbara Polo & Racquet) and Sri Lanka (SLBFE) are in Pool B.

The round-robin preliminaries kicked off yesterday. Surprisingly, more than 3,000 local enthusiasts packed the venue to watch the action.

In the curtain-raiser, Santa Barbara Polo & Racquet overcame their initial nervousness to beat the unfancied SLBFE of Sri Lanka in four dramatic sets 20-25 25-16 25-17 25-18.

 “I’m very happy we won the crucial first match. It helps boost our confidence. Our target in this tournament is to book a place in the quarter-finals,” said Mohammad Shali Sukor, head coach of Malaysia’s San Barbara Polo & Racquet.

 “We lost the first set because my players were nervous and made several mistakes. Actually, our team is a mixture of seven young spikers from Bukit Jalil Sports School and five seniors. This is the Malaysia national team and we are preparing for the next year’s SEA Games in [Myanmar],” he added.

Vietnam’s VTV Binh Dien Long An also opened their account with three points after a scintillating 25-14 25-13 25-21 win over Asia World VC, the Burmese national volleyball team, which is also preparing for the next SEA Games.

The third match of the day saw former three-time winners Tianjin Bridgestone field three former Chinese national players including Chen Liyi and Yin Na, but struggled hard to beat Kazakhstan’s Zhetyssu 25-20 25-18 22-25 20-25 15-11.

Thailand’s national players, representing Chang, were due to take on Japan’s Toray Arrows, who captured this year’s Japanese V-League title, in a late night match.

The hosts are looking forward to winning their fourth title in succession in this annual competition. In the previous edition in Vinh Phuc, Vietnam last year, Thailand’s Chang stunned former three-time champions Tianjin Bridgestone in straight sets in the final to make it three in a row.

The nine-day championship serves as the qualification tournament for the FIVB World Women’s Club Championship to be held later this year in Qatar. Only the winning team will secure the lone Asian berth to take part in the Doha meet from October 13 to 19.

The “16th Princess Cup” 2012 Asian Women’s Club Volleyball Championship is a combination of two tournaments, the biennial Princess Cup Women’s Volleyball Invitation and the Asian Women’s Club Championship.

Thailand planned to host the 16th Princess Cup this year and in the meantime the Asian Volleyball Confederation asked the country to host the 13th Asian Women’s Club Championship. The organisers then decided to merge the two competitions.