Superb Thais edged out by Germany in thriller
Thai volleyballers' miserable run in the Nations League continued when they lost to Germany 3-2 for back-to-back defeats on home soil last night.
Despite support from 4,000 fans at the Hua Mark Indoor Stadium, Thailand failed to match the form that led them to a fourth place finish in the 2012 World Grand Prix, losing 25-23 28-26 23-25 22-25 15-10. They also lost to Dominican Republic on Tuesday and have lost six out of eight matches in the tournament.
Louisa Lippmann scored 22 points in a brilliant display of power and precision from the European side.
Lippmann's impressive tally included 21 kills as Germany regained their composure just at the right time to snap a six-game losing streak after a two and a half hour thriller of escalating tension.
The German captain Maren Fromm hit the winning spike to end the match with 20 points, joining Lippmann, Marie Scholzel (15), Lisa Grunding (14) and Jennifer Geerties (10) in a group of five German players to reach double figures.
For Thailand, Ajcharaporn Kongyot led the way with 22 points, including 20 spikes from 38 attempts, while Hattaya Bamrungsuk (17), Pleumjit Thinkaow (13) and Pimpichaya Kokram (11) all played superbly in a nail-biting match.
With the win, Germany ended a run of six losses to improve to 6-2 while Pool 11 hosts Thailand dropped to 6-2 after a match that featured not only great shot-making but also desperate defence.
Thailand host the United States in their final Pool 11 match on Thursday while Germany take on the Dominican Republic
