Vietnam women's volleyball team competes for bronze medal at ASIAD 19

As expected, the Vietnamese women's volleyball team played very hard but could not cause a surprise against the world's 6th ranked team Japan in the semi-finals of ASIAD 19.

Đội tuyển bóng chuyền nữ Việt Nam thi đấu tranh Huy chương đồng ASIAD 19

The Vietnamese women's volleyball team competed with great effort at the 19th ASIAD. (Photo: HT)

Japan is not a strange opponent for the Vietnamese women's volleyball team. A month ago, the two teams met in the bronze medal match at the 2023 Asian Championship. In this match, coach Nguyen Tuan Kiet's team almost created a surprise but unfortunately lost 2-3.

Compared to the Asian championship, Japan's squad has a few changes, the most notable of which is the absence of Hawhi Oba.

This is the name that played best in the match against Vietnam with 27 points, the absence of this star somewhat reduced the pressure on Vietnam's defense.

However, the world’s 6th ranked team still has many other excellent hitters. Thanh Thuy and her teammates want to create a miracle, they must really try their best in the semi-final match of ASIAD 19, taking place at 1:30 pm on October 6.

Coach Nguyen Tuan Kiet fielded the strongest lineup including: Tran Thi Thanh Thuy, Kieu Trinh, Lam Oanh, Tu Linh, Nguyen Thi Trinh, Khanh Dang.

Thanh Thuy was the one who smashed the ball close to the edge of the court to open the score for the Vietnamese women's volleyball team. After the first few minutes of confusion, Japan regained control of the game and led 6-4.

The two teams played fiercely, chasing each other for every point. The scores were constantly tied 10-10, 13-13... The Vietnamese girls showed that they were not inferior to the Japanese team.

Japan also showed superiority in defense with the ability to block and receive the first step very well. Meanwhile, the Vietnamese girls had many inaccurate first step situations.

However, Thanh Thuy and her teammates still played on par with their opponents. The scores were 17-17, 22-22, 24-24, and at the decisive moment, Japan scored 2 points in a row to end set 1 with a score of 26-24.

In the second set, the Vietnamese women's volleyball team took the lead 6-3. However, Japan had some very important points to take the lead 11-9. After that, Thanh Thuy and her teammates scored 3 points in a row to lead 12-11.

Although not inferior to their world-ranked opponents, the Vietnamese girls lacked the necessary courage. This caused Thanh Thuy and her teammates to lose points, losing 21-25 in set 2.

In set 3, the Vietnamese women's volleyball team played with determination, fighting for every point with Japan. Just like the previous 2 sets, coach Nguyen Tuan Kiet's students continuously took the lead, but the gap was only 1-2 points.

Mistakes in the first receiving and serving stages caused the Vietnamese women's volleyball team to fall behind 19-17 to their opponents, but Thanh Thuy and her teammates played explosively at the decisive moment, winning 25-23 to keep their hopes of a comeback alive.

However, in set 4, the Vietnamese girls showed signs of losing their stamina. Taking advantage of this, Japan continuously scored points to win 25-16, winning 3-1 in the final.

Losing in the semi-final, the Vietnamese women's volleyball team awaits its opponent in the bronze medal match of ASIAD 19, the losing team in the match between China and Thailand (6 p.m.).

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