Thailand's women's volleyball team made a big surprise as they beat China 3-1 in the final to win the 15th Asian Women's Volleyball Championship, held at the Quan Ngua Sport Palace in Hanoi, Vietnam yesterday.
In a nail-biting match, Thailand came back from one set down to take their first-ever victory over volleyball powerhouse China with scores of 20-25, 25-19, 25-19, 25-23 in the final of the 16-team tournament.
China are currently standing third in the world rankings, while Thailand stands at World No. 17.
In another match, Japan beat the Republic of Korea 3-0 to snatch the bronze medal. Kazakhstan defeated Chinese Taipei 3-0 to rank fifth while the hosts Vietnam downed Iran 3-0 for the second time to occupy the seventh position.
The achievement also earned Thailand a berth at the World Grand Champion Cup in November and the World Grand Prix next year.
Thai coach Kriatipong Ratchatakriangkai admitted that to defeat China, bronze medalist at last year's Olympic Games and 11-time Asian champion, was way beyond expectations.
He said the next task is to prepare the team for the tournament in November.
Individual awards:
Most Valuable Player: Onuma Sittirak (Thailand)
Best Scorer: Kim Yeon Koung (Korea)
Best Spiker: Xue Ming (China)
Best Setter: Nootsara Tomkom (Thailand)
Best Blocker: Xue Ming (China)
Best Server: Saori Kimura (Japan)
Best Libero Player: Wanna Buakaew (Thailand)
Monday, September 14, 2009
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