National volleyball team win Southeast Asian silver

Both Vietnam and Thailand defeated the Philippines and Indonesia with the same score (3-0). Therefore, the game between Vietnam and Thailand on Sunday was considered the final, with the winner to top the overall standings and win the gold medal.

Thailand were the favorites to win this tournament, ranked 14th in the world, 70 places above Vietnam. They also got to play at the home ground Korat Chatchai Hall in front of 5,000 fans.

The hosts dominated thanks to their star Pornpun Guedpard. Her versatile passes created many chances for the attackers and caused Vietnam a lot of trouble.

Vietnam’s biggest hope in this game was Tran Thi Thanh Thuy, who failed to make a difference against two solid Thai defenders Hattaya Bamrungsuk and Ajcharaporn Kongyot.

After losing 19-25 in the first set, Vietnam scored a slight advantage when key Thai player Wipawee Srithong suffered an injury. However, Thailand continued to thrive and won 25-17 in the second set.

In the third set, Vietnam played well and led 11-6. Failing to maintain the lead, they let Thailand level 16-16 and then lead 23-21. Thuy tried to save Vietnam with a cross-court hit to level 24-24, but the team lost two points straight and accepted the overall 0-3 defeat.

With two wins and one loss, Vietnam placed second and received $20,000. Indonesia came third after beating the Philippines 3-0 in the last game.