Manila, Philippines, May 22, 2024 – Caitlin Tipping unknowingly posted an astounding 21-point performance, to boost Australia to a 3-1 win (23-25, 25-15, 25-19, 25-18) against Chinese Taipei in Pool A of the 2024 AVC Challenge Cup for Women.
“I tried not to focus or keep track of tonight’s points. Each play has its own value so if I put too much pressure on how many points I’ve made then I’ll lose focus on the next point ahead of me,” said Tipping as she asked if she has checked her tally for the match at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum.
Upon confirming her massive output for their first match in Manila on Wednesday evening, she said “Being one of the older athletes in the team gives an expectation that I need to be leader, whether that comes from being on the bench and supporting my team or being on court and scoring points. I’ll do whatever is needed for the team.”
Australia, the sixth-placers from the 2023 edition, complemented the match with a masterful middle game, with block monster Cassandra Dodd’s 10 deflections out of the team’s total of 18.
Meanwhile, Chinese Taipei, the bronze medalists from the previous edition held in Surabaya-Gresik, Indonesia, are returning to the competition in Manila with a young squad of under-20 players. They moved with more speed, in floor defense and in offense. They also imposed pressure and strategy in their service to throw off their opponents’ rhythm in the passing unit, to help them gain the first set.
As Australia established a strong presence in their frontline, Chinese Taipei tried to play with a quicker tempo, activating the attacks from Hsu Fang Min and Lin Liang-Tai. The match unfolded like a detailed discussion of speed versus height, and which team could outplay the other?
In the end, Australia were able to find solutions, playing along the tempo of their opponents while keeping their main arsenal active toward victory in 4 sets.
“Looking back at our loss in the first set, it was our team trying to play together again, working together, and figuring out what our game is. I think even if we struggled there, it wasn’t a bad set of volleyball. We were still competing well and making a lot of points. We came back in that set so we built some momentum going forward,” Tipping commented.
On Thursday, Australia will face host team Philippines in the main event at 19:00 (local time) while Chinese Taipei are set to play against India in an earlier match scheduled at 13:00…
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