Vietnam 1 win VTV Cup 2023
Vietnam 1 beat Vietnam 2 3-0 to win the International Women's Volleyball Tournament, VTV Cup, on August 26 in Lao Cai Province.
Gathering the best players of the nation, the Vietnam 1 squad faced almost no difficulties to dominate the match against their junior teammates of Vietnam 2.
Under the leadership of captain Tran Thi Thanh Thuy, Vietnam 1 opened consecutive attacks that tore Vietnam 2's defence into pieces. They won 25-14 in the first set.
In the second set coach Nguyen Tuan Kiet fielded young players who could not keep up with the pace of the game, leading to Vietnam 2's fight back. The junior team levelled the score at 17-17 and went on to lead 18-17 for the first time.
It forced experienced Doan Thi Lam Oanh, Tran Tu Linh, Dinh Thi Tra Giang to come back to the court. They struggled to get the set balanced again before winning 26-24.
The third set saw a strong effort from the Vietnam 2 girls but they could not do much when the Vietnam 1 played with the strongest line-up.
Thúy's storm volleys were a key weapon that helped Vietnam 1 run ahead and wrap up the set at 25/19.
The winning team secured US$12,000 bonus and as the first runners-up Vietnam 2 received US$7,000.
The third place went to Choco Mucho Club of the Philippines who beat Kansai University of Japan 25-20, 23-25, 25-13 for a bonus of US$5,000.
The organisers also presented awards to the best individuals including MVP Thanh Thuy and Miss Volleyball Kieu Trinh, both of Vietnam 1.
After the annual VTV Cup, 12 players will be called for the Asian Volleyball Championship from August 30-September 6 in Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand, and the Asian Games in late September in China.
