Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand, September 1, 2023 – Korea, Chinese Taipei and Vietnam remain locked in a tense Pool C battle, as unbeaten China and Kazakhstan in Pool D as well as India and Japan in Pool B are quite certain of securing Top 8 spots in the on-going 22nd Asian Senior Women’s Volleyball Championship.
On the second day of the topflight championship at Chartchai Hall and MCC Hall inside The Mall Korat Department Store here in Nakhon Ratchasima, powerhouses China, Vietnam and Kazakhstan pulled off comfortable straight-set wins against their respective opponents for two in a row in the eight-day championship, which attracted a strong field of 14 teams to vie for top honor and accumulated points for FIVB World Ranking.
Australia and India also had a field day to register their first wins in Nakhon Ratchasima, but highlighting Thursday was the electrifying clash between Korea and Chinese Taipei which saw the former struggling hard to beat the latter in a five-set thriller.
Contesting their preliminary Pool C encounter on Thursday, Korea, one of the strong contenders seeking their unprecedented title in the continent’s biggest women’s volleyball competition, competed in a daunting match against Chinese Taipei with their backs against the wall.
The Koreans suffered a major setback the day before when they went down to Vietnam in grueling five sets, badly needing a win against Chinese Taipei, which brushed off Uzbekistan in straight sets in their opening encounter on Wednesday, in an effort of enhancing their chances of qualifying for the Top 8.
Korea, one of the formidable teams with the best defence in their frontline, shuffled their lineup in this tough match against Chinese Taipei, replacing four players who played in the previous match against Vietnam with Kim Jiwon, Pyo Seungju, Kwon Minji and Jung Hoyoung, but still remained offensively strong with the likes of hard-attacking Kang Sohwi and middle blocker Lee Juah. Korea won the tie-breaker 15-8, much to the satisfaction of team players and staff coaches.
Outside hitter Kang Sohwi scored a match-high 25 points from 21 attacks, one block and 3 aces for Korea, while opposite hitter Chang Li-Wen delivered 19 points including 15 attacks from 44 attempts on the Chinese Taipei’s loss.
“We are working to be balance for long time because we dropped after the second set. We need to play matches like this because it will give us that quality in this competitive moment. So, we are happy…
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