Nakhonratchasima off to a winning start

The Thai spikers rested their four national players Thatdao Nuekjang, Ajcharaporn Kongyot, Pornpun Guedpard and Thaphaphaiphan Chaisri for the match. With Wanichaya Luangthonglang smashing the ball at will, the hosts won the first set without much difficulty.

Boosted by dancing, cheering spectators, the Thai team continued their sparkling form to comfortably capture the next two sets and the match. “It was a good win and a good start. Wanichaya was great in spiking. The Iranian team’s powerful spiker, Maedeh Borhanie, who scored the first four points for their team, was quite good. We will have two days of rest. Our next two teams, Vietnam and Japan, are very strong. I expect the matches to be tough. We have to train much harder,” said Nakhonratchasima head coach Suthichai Chanbunchee.

Earlier, PLDT of the Philippines, with the likes of Regla Maritza Bell Mackenzie, who led Cuba to successive three Olympic gold medals, the 197cm-tall Santiago Alyja Daphine and Japanese Misao Tanyama, pulled off a scintillating 25-17 26-24 25-16 win over the fighting KSEB team from India.

Taipei, fielding all national players, showed no mercy to the small-built VAS of Singapore in a totally one-sided battle 25-8 25-7 25-6.

Kazakhstan’s Zhetyssu, loaded with national players, and four-time champions Bohai Bank Tianjin of China was due to take place later yesterday. Today, KSEB take on Taipei, Zhetyssu play VAS, Bohai Bank Tianjin face PLDT and Vietnam’s Thong Tin Lienvietpostbank play their first match against Japan’s Hisamitsu Springs. Hosts Nakhonratchasima have a rest day.