Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand, September 3, 2023 – Hard-hitting Tran Thi Thanh Thuy scored a match-high 17 points to lift Vietnam to a sensational 3-0 (25-15, 25-15, 25-21) win against Australia in a Pool E clash in round of Top 8 in the 22nd Asian Senior Women’s Volleyball Championship at Chartchai Hall on Sunday.
Vietnam, which captured the 2023 Asian Women’s Club Championship under the Center Sport 1’s banner and the 2023 AVC Challenge Cup to their name, have yet lost a match to their respective rivals and their stunning victory against Korea earlier made the Vietnamese one of the strongest teams to be reckoned with in this topflight championship.
Tran Thi Thanh Thuy, who stands 193cm tall, used her height advantage to attack powerfully and block solidly to help Vietnam take an initial 14-9 lead in the first set. Australia bounced back, with middle blocker Kara Inskip and opposite hitter Emma Burton unleashing back-to-back attacks to give Vietnam a tough going. However, the Vietnamese proved them wrong as they counter-attacked aggressively to net some crucial points and advanced 24-14. Kara landed a sliding attack to hand Australia one more point before Vietnam wrapped up the set 25-15.
Holding 1-0 advantage, Vietnam still dominated the second set to lead with a 7-point clear at 9-2. It seemed that the Vietnamese would run away with an easy win in this set. However, Australia came back, mixing an excellent offensive combination between powerful attacks from Annelies Jones and scintillating blocks by Beth Carey and Rebecca Redgen to reduce the gap to 14-22. Still, their fine form came too late as Vietnam stormed on to take the set 25-15.
The third set was clearly dominated by the Vietnamese as they led by wide margin 8-1 and still took control of the scoreboard, establishing a five-point lead at 20-15. Playing with confidence and consistency, Vietnam rested their best players and replaced them with substitutions including Vi Thi Nhu Quynh, Doan Thi Xuan and Pham Thi Hien.
Australia grabbed this opportunity and put their acts together. Carey’s deceptive drops and Redgen’s thundering cross-court attacks gave momentum to an Australian comeback as they narrowed the margin 21-23. Seeing the opponents come within a whisker of leveling it, coach Nguyen Tuan Kiet made the most of two timeouts and when the Vietnamese got back to the competition court, opposite hitter Hoang Thi Kieu Trinh scored two points in a row to help Vietnam capture the…
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