Thai women face tough test to regain Asian glory

A total of 16 teams from Asia and Oceania have confirmed their participation in the nine-day tournament, which serves as a qualification round for three major events.

The winners will represent the continent in the World Grand Champions Cup in November in Japan, while the top two teams, excluding China and Japan, who have qualified automatically, will get a berth in the FIVB World Grand Prix next year. The top eight teams will get slots in the AVC Cup to be held next year.

Hosts Thailand, Kazakhstan, Australia and Mongolia are in Pool A, while Pool B consists of defending 12-time champions China, Iran, the Philippines and India. Pool C comprises Japan, Vietnam, Indonesia and Hong Kong. South Korea, Taiwan, Myanmar and Sri Lanka are in Pool D.

 The 5,000-seater Chatchai Hall, some 10km from downtown Nakhon Ratchasima, will be the main venue, while the MCC Hall inside The Mall Nakhon Ratchasima will be the second venue. Both will host four matches apiece a day, with the Thai matches to be played at Chatchai Hall to avoid overcrowding in the arena. Channel 7 will televise all the matches involving Thailand live.

On September 13, the opening day, Thailand face Kazakhstan, Australia meet Mongolia, China take on Iran, the Philippines play India, Indonesia challenge Hong Kong, Japan take on Vietnam, South Korea play Myanmar and Sri Lanka meet Taiwan.

Thailand, the world No 12, finished a distant 13th in the recent World Grand Prix Preliminaries. In the previous Asian meet two years ago in Taiwan, Thailand failed in their attempt to retain the title and had to be content with fourth place after a disappointing 3-2 defeat to South Korea in the third-place playoff. China regained the title they lost to Thailand in 2009 with a scintillating 3-1 win over Japan in the final showdown.

Though the Thai team failed to make it to the World Grand Prix Finals in Sapporo, Japan, from August 28 to September 1, their gutsy display in the Bangkok phase last week at the Hua Mark Indoor Stadium has won the hearts of the Thai fans.

 “Some may dismiss the event as not world class, but it will not be easy to make the final,” Thai head coach Kiattipong Radchatagriengkai said at a press conference yesterday.

“We have to do our best and make a good start in the pool. Strong teams such as China, Japan and South Korea will give a tough competition. To finish among the top four is my immediate goal.

“We will field those players who had played in World Grand Prix such as Onuma Sittirak, Wilavan Apinyapong, Nootsara Tomkom and Pleumjit Thinkaow. At the same time, young talents such as Thatdao Nuekjang and Atcharaporn Kongyot will also get a fair amount of time to play with seniors and obtain valuable experience. We will try our best to play well in every match.” 

Ahead of the Asian meet, the Thai squad will test their mettle against hosts Japan, Vietnam, Australia and Taiwan in the FIVB World Women’s Volleyball Championship Qualification Asian Zone Pool A at Park Arena in Komaki, Nagoya, Japan between September 4 and 8.

The round-robin event will determine the top two teams to compete in the 24-team World Championship in Italy next year. The Pool B matches will be held in China later in September, with other five teams including China, South Korea and Kazakhstan vying for the remaining two berths.