Thailand women’s volleyball team defeat Egypt in World Championship opener

Thailand’s women’s national volleyball team made a strong start to the 2025 FIVB Women’s World Championship, hosted by Thailand, with a 3-1 victory over Egypt (25-15, 23-25, 25-15, 25-11) in their opening Group A match at Huamark Indoor Stadium on Friday night (August 22).

Head coach Kiattipong Radchatagriengkai fielded a full-strength line-up, featuring Pornpun Guedpard, Sasipaporn Janthawisut, Pimpichaya Kokram, Thatdao Nuekjang, Wimonrat Thanaphan, Chatchu-on Moksri and libero Piyanut Pannoy.

Set 1: Both sides traded points early on before Thailand pulled away through heavy hitting from Sasipaporn, moving 12-6 ahead. Egypt tried to respond but were undone by errors, while Chatchu-on, Wimonrat and Sasipaporn combined effectively to stretch the lead. Thailand closed it out 25-15 to take a 1-0 lead.

Set 2: Thailand began with solid blocks to lead 3-0, but Egypt’s defensive resilience turned the momentum. Despite substitutions, including captain Ajcharaporn Kongyot, the Thais struggled against Egypt’s tight blocking and lost 23-25, allowing Egypt to level 1-1.

Set 3: Thailand regained control with a 6-2 advantage, as Egypt’s Nada Ahmed Houssameldein, Toqa Essam and Meeto fought to keep pace. The hosts found their rhythm, extending to 18-12 before closing the set 25-15, reclaiming a 2-1 lead.

Set 4: The final set started evenly at 3-3, but Thailand’s confidence surged as Egypt’s attack faded. With Pimpichaya, Thatdao and Sasipaporn finishing strongly, Thailand dominated 25-11 to seal the match 3-1.

The victory gave Thailand, ranked 21st in the world, a full three points and placed them at the top of Group A. Their world ranking points increased by 2.5 to 162.92, though they remain in 21st position. Egypt, previously ranked 54th, dropped to 55th after their tally fell to 52.12 points.

Star spiker Pimpichaya led the scoring for Thailand with 19 points (17 from spikes and two from blocks). She was followed by Chatchu-on and Thatdao, who each contributed 14 points.

In overall statistics, Thailand outperformed Egypt in all departments:

• Spikes: Thailand 56 – Egypt 37
• Blocks: Thailand 16 – Egypt 9
• Aces: Thailand 4 – Egypt 3

After the match, head coach Kiattipong admitted that his side was still tense in their opening game and lacked consistency, particularly in the second set, which Thailand lost.

“First of all, I want to thank all the players and coaching staff for their commitment and preparation, which led to today’s victory. The first match was not easy. We had planned carefully for Egypt, but the first set was difficult as many of our players were still nervous. Fortunately, as the set progressed, they improved and finished strongly,” he said.

“However, the second set left us with some concerns. The players were perhaps too eager, which made them lose their freedom in side-out plays and finishing points. Our rallies were not effective, and our break points, especially in serving, blocking, spiking and defence, were below standard. On top of that, some players had fitness issues. For example, Buam-Bim (Chatchu-on) suffered a shoulder injury, but thanks to our medical and physio teams she was able to return for the third and fourth sets, which went our way. Even so, our performance was not yet 100 % stable, and we must keep improving.”

Looking ahead, Kiattipong said the team would use the half-day break to recover and prepare for their next Group A fixture.

Thailand will face Sweden on Sunday, August 24, at 8.30pm at Huamark Indoor Stadium, where fans are expected to pack the stands once again to cheer on the home side.