Thailand top Pool B after four-set win over Kazakhstan

Thailand completed an unbeaten Pool B campaign at the 2026 AVC Women’s Volleyball Continental Championship on Tuesday (August 25, 2026), defeating Kazakhstan 3-1 to reach the quarter-finals as pool winners and remain in contention for a direct place at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics.

Playing at the Tianjin Olympic Center Gymnasium in China, Thailand won the opening two sets 25-22 and 25-16 before Kazakhstan kept the match alive by taking the third 25-23. The Thai side responded decisively in the fourth, conceding only 11 points to complete the victory.

Thailand, who entered the contest ranked 17th in the world, finished the preliminary round with three wins, nine points and a 9-1 set record. Kazakhstan, ranked 41st, ended their Pool B schedule with one win, two defeats and three points.

The defending champions had already secured a place in the last eight after winning their first two matches without dropping a set, beginning with a 3-0 victory over Australia before recording another straight-set win against Indonesia.

Sasipapron leads rotated Thai line-up

Head coach Kiattipong “Coach Aod” Radchatagriengkai rested middle blocker Thatdao Nuekjang for the final pool match.

Pornpun Guedpard started at setter, with Kaewkalaya Kamulthala and Kanyarat Kunmueang as the middle blockers, Pimpichaya Kokram at opposite, Chatchu-On Moksri and Sasipapron Janthawisut as the outside hitters, and Kalyarat Khamwong at libero. The players are all included in Thailand’s official 14-member tournament squad.

Sasipapron led Thailand with 20 points against Kazakhstan, comprising 19 attack points and one ace. She has accumulated 55 points across the three pool matches after scoring 19 against Australia and 16 against Indonesia.

Kaewkalaya added seven points against Kazakhstan, including two blocks and one ace, while Pornpun scored six, with two blocks and two aces.

Defending champions chase historic Olympic place

Thailand entered the tournament as the reigning Asian champions after winning the continental title on home soil in Nakhon Ratchasima in 2023.

That victory was Thailand’s third Asian crown following their successes in 2009 and 2013. The team went unbeaten through seven matches in 2023, defeating Japan in five sets in the semi-finals and China in another five-set contest in the final. Chatchu-On was named the tournament’s most valuable player, while Pornpun and Thatdao were also selected for the competition’s Dream Team.

Thailand have yet to compete in the women’s volleyball tournament at an Olympic Games. The FIVB described their Tokyo 2020 qualifying campaign as an attempt to make their Olympic debut, and they were not among the 12 teams that qualified for Paris 2024.

The LA28 qualification system gives the winner of each 2026 continental championship one direct Olympic place. Three more berths will go to the highest-placed teams not already qualified at the 2027 global tournament, with the final three places allocated through the FIVB world rankings after the preliminary phase of the 2028 Volleyball Nations League.

The three highest finishers in Tianjin will also qualify for the 2027 FIVB Women’s Volleyball World Cup. The competition was previously known as the FIVB Volleyball Women’s World Championship, with the new name taking effect from its 2027 edition.

Thailand’s quarter-final opponent had not yet been confirmed, with the preliminary schedules in Pools A and C still to be completed.