Vinh Phuc, Vietnam, April 25, 2023 – The 193cm-tall Tran Thi Thanh Thuy was in incredible form on Tuesday as the Vietnamese star spiker scored a match high 39 points in Sport Center 1’s hard-fought 3-2 (25-22, 21-25, 25-18, 22-25, 15-10) victory against Paykan in the grueling 129-minute clash in the 2023 Asian Women’s Club Volleyball Championship at Vinh Phuc Gymnasium here.
Tran Thi Thanh Thuy, who currently plays for PFU Blue Cats in the Japanese League Division 1, had 35 attack points, two blocks and two aces, while Mahsa Kadkhoda contributed 21 points including 16 attacks and three blocks for Paykan.
It was a close match from the beginning as both sides poured everything to win the first set, but Paykan, champions of Iran Women’s Premier League at the 2022/23 season, made a strong start, with opposite Mona Ashofteh attacking aggressively to put her team in front 7-4.
Backed by the home-crowd supports at the packed venue, Sport Center 1, fielding all Vietnam national players in their preparation for the next month’s 32nd Southeast (SEA) Games in Cambodia, gradually pulled their game together. Powerful outside hitter Tran Thi Thanh Thuy gave the host side a comeback as she fired many thundering attacks to help her team level at 8-8. Sport Center 1 went on their remarkable form to widen the margin to 15-11. Everything seemed to be working for the Vietnamese side in the first set as they kept widening the gap.
Still, Paykan proved well their victory in the Premier League back home was no fluke and they bounced back heavily. As Sport Center 1 delighted their cheerful home fans with spiking spree to advance to 23-17, the visitors started to produce the goods. Middle blocker Pouran Zare fired fast spikes, Zahra Moghani carried out solid blocks and outside hitter Fatemeh Amini and opposite Mona Ashofteh uncorked some powerful attacks to help the Iranian team reduce the gap at 21-24.
During the crucial moment, Tran Thi Thanh Thuy made an erratic spike, giving the Iranians another chance to come back. As Sport Center 1 held 24-22 advantage, Thanh Thuy made amends for the mistake she made a moment earlier, attacking devastatingly for the team’s hard-fought 25-22 win.
The second set gave Paykan a better chance of their successful comeback. The Iranians came up with markedly improved performance, with Fatemeh and Mona hammering powerful attacks to help Paykan lead 8-3 and extend it to 18-14. Sport Center 1 clawed their way back to narrow the…
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