Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand, September 10, 2022 – Hosts Thailand and Vietnam remained on course to storm into the final day of the 2nd ASEAN Grand Prix Women’s Volleyball Invitation with remarkable unbeaten record to battle it out for top honour on Sunday.
Thailand
Vietnam
World No.14 Thailand, which reigned supreme in the two-leg inaugural ASEAN Grand Prix three years ago, and SEA Games archrivals Vietnam similarly sealed consecutive two wins without dropping a set to their respective rivals, with the former putting it past the fighting Indonesians in thrilling straight sets and the latter too strong to see off Philippines in one-sided encounter on Saturday.
Thailand had already played Vietnam for three times this year and it was the Thai squad which won them all. They beat the Vietnamese twice (preliminary match and final showdown) in the SEA Games in Hanoi in May. At the Philippines-hosted 2022 AVC Cup for Women in Pasig City, they beat the same rivals in the third-place playoff.
The Sunday’s matchup between the two unbeaten teams will determine the eventual winners in the second edition of the ASEAN Grand Prix.
On Saturday, in-form Vietnam outplayed Philippines in a lopsided affair 25-12, 25-16, 25-16, while hosts Thailand struggled in the first set to beat Indonesia in thrilling three-setter 25-22, 25-18, 25-13.
After two days, both Vietnam and Thailand had the similar performances of two straight wins against Indonesia and Philippines and did not drop a single set to their respective rivals. However, the Vietnamese had a better points ratio to stay atop the four-team standing. Thailand came in second place overall, with Indonesia and Philippines trailing in third and fourth places respectively.
Against the Philippines, the team they had already beaten twice in straight sets consisting of the SEA Games in Hanoi in May and the AVC Cup for Women in Pasig City, Philippines last month, Vietnam, fourth place at the AVC Cup, fielded a strong lineup led by powerful Tran Thi Thanh Thuy, Hoang Thi Kieu Trinh and Pham Thi Nguyet Anh.
The opening set was one-way traffic, with Philippines simply blown away by a fierce Vietnam’s barrage – with Tran Thi Thanh Thuy and Tran Thi Bich Thuy too powerful from spike range. The Filipinas had no answer for the irresistible Tran Thi Thanh Thuy to go down 12-25.
Philippines battled hard in the next two sets, but Vietnam were superior in every department to cruise comfortably 25-16, 25-16 in the second and…
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