Photos courtesy of Vietcontent, SMM Volleyball
Fired-up LPBank Ninh Binh, riding crest of a wave following their stunning upset win against reigning champions Sichuan from China, continued the onslaught in the 14th VTV9-Binh Dien Cup International Women’s Volleyball Tournament with another straight-set win against U20 Thailand at Buon Ma Thuot City Gym in Dak Lak Province, Vietnam on Monday.
Powerful Nguyen Thi Bich Tuyen, who scored a match-high 24 points to lead LPBank Ninh Binh to 3-0 win against Sichuan, proved again she is a major force of Vietnam national team to be reckoned with in the not-too-distant future. Against the Thai team, the 187cm opposite spiker delivered a team-high 19 points to help Ninh Binh win two in succession in the eight-day tournament, which also serves as final tune-up matches for the U20 Thailand and U20 Vietnam squads in their preparation for the 22nd Asian Women’s U20 Championship in Jiangmen, China from July 1 to 8.
U20 Thailand fielded a formidable lineup which pulled off hard-fought 3-2 win against BCTT TT Binh Phuoc in their opening Pool B match on Monday including Warisara Seetaloed, Papatchaya Phontham, Tanyaporn Seeso and Phattharawadee Khamuan. Ninh Binh remained strong offensively with the likes of Tuyen and two Vietnam national team players, middle blockers Le Thanh Thuy and Nguyen Thi Trinh.
The Thai team relied on aggressive attacks from Warisara and Papatchaya in the first set. Ninh Binh were relentless in their domination, with Tuyen on fire to provide most of the ammunition in the team’s attack throughout the set. Lightning-fast spikes from Le Thanh Thuy and Nguyen Thi Trinh, both of them stand 180cm tall, also proved a serious thorn in the Thai defence. The Vietnamese team wrapped up the first set 25-19.
Both sides fought it all out in the second set, causing an intense competition from the beginning. After leveling at 15-15, Ninh Binh regained composure and started to break away. The hard-hitting and heaving-scoring Tuyen capped her stellar show by hitting deadly cross-court spikes, while intensity and threat from Nguyen Thi Trinh and Le Thanh Thuy on offense also made it difficult for the Thai team to defend against from the right side. Ninh Binh closed out the set 25-18.
Conceding two sets in a row, U20 Thailand tried hard to catch up with the Vietnamese tactics. Still, the Thai comeback attempts were denied. As Ninh Binh were leading commandingly 18-14, Le Thanh Thuy sustained an injury and…
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