Indonesia The Vietnamese women's volleyball team struggled to beat Indonesia 3-2 to win the AVC Challenge Cup for the first time - Asia's third-tier tournament for lower-level national women's teams.
Vietnam entered the final on the evening of June 25 with a perfect record of five wins and a score of 3-0. The team had an advantage over Indonesia in terms of physical strength, having only used a reserve team in the semi-final win over India, while the host team took nearly two and a half hours to defeat Taiwan 3-2. However, a difficult match like the semi-final of the 32nd SEA Games was repeated.
Coach Nguyen Tuan Kiet and his team started off smoothly, leading by 10 points at one point and ending the first set with a score of 25-18. However, main attacker Nguyen Thi Thanh Thuy and her teammates had a day of underperformance, especially the first error that allowed Indonesia to take the lead.
Vietnam won the AVC Challenge Cup for the first time after defeating host Indonesia 3-2 on the evening of June 25. Photo: AVC
In the second set, the two teams fought for each point and then tied at 25-25. Indonesia then served, opening an exciting attack and ending with Thanh Thuy's smash. Vietnam used the right to appeal to review the video but nothing changed. Holding the advantage, Indonesia ended the set with a score of 27-25 after a powerful smash from star Megawati Pertiwi.
This echo continued into the third set. Vietnam continued to have trouble attacking, allowing Indonesia to take a seven-point lead at one point. Vi Thi Nhu Quynh and Hoang Thi Kieu Trinh's efforts only helped narrow the gap, but could not avoid a 21-25 defeat.
In the fourth set, Vietnam was at one point trailing by three points but leveled at 13-13 and then found a way to take the lead. At this time, Indonesia's physical strength somewhat declined, helping Vietnam regain control of the game to win 25-20.
The deciding set was exciting. Vietnam twice led by two points but Indonesia equalised both times. The third time, the visitors showed the precision they should have had from the start, overshadowing Megawati's efforts. Hoang Thi Kieu Trinh smashed the ball powerfully in the decisive shot, hitting it with her hand to block it out, helping Vietnam win 15-13.
Thuy Linh bounces the ball in the final match against Indonesia. Photo: AVC
Vietnam became the second team to win the AVC Challenge Cup after Hong Kong. This victory is even more meaningful as it is the first time the Vietnamese women's volleyball team has won an Asian-level tournament.
Vietnam will represent Asia at the 2023 FIVB Challenger Cup in France. Previously, in May 2023, Vietnam won the Asian Women's Club Volleyball Championship and also represented Asia at the World Women's Club Volleyball Championship.
The AVC Challenge Cup was established by the Asian Volleyball Confederation (AVC) in 2018, and is held every two years for lower-level national women's teams, following the Asian Volleyball Championship and the Asian Volleyball Cup. The first two editions were held in Hong Kong but had to be canceled due to the pandemic and force majeure. In 2022, the tournament will be held for the first time in Thailand, with Hong Kong winning the championship.
Hieu Luong
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