Iran secures 7th in AVC Cup for Women

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Iran kicked off the final day of the AVC Cup for Women with a straight sets victory over Australia in the seventh-place game, 25-19 25-18 25-22, Monday at the Philsports Arena.

Aytak Salamatgharamaleki led the Persians with fifteen points, while Mahsa Saberi added twelve markers, including three aces, as they ended their campaign with their second win.

Alessandra Kampedelli reflected on the team's performance in the tournament. "I think for us, it was a very very very great experience for us. Now we have to work more."

After a tough five-set defeat to hosts Philippines yesterday, the Volleyroos struggled against their opposition in the match, which lasted 93 minutes.

Reflecting on the previous night, skipper Kelly Lean says, "Mad respect for the Philippines on the way they played their defense and their power hitting was super impressive. We couldn't hang on."

She adds, "We were bit disappointed with today. We probably played a little bit better than that.  We played a big game yesterday and we played a tough opponent in Iran, they really played very well so it's hard to match after a tough loss."

Stef Wieler and Kara Inskip each netted ten points for Australia, which will finish eighth in the competition. Annelies Jones and Caitlin Tipping added eight markers each.

Thailand locks in QF spot in AVC Cup for Women

 

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Thailand dispatch Chinese-Taipei in straight sets, 25-20 25-18 25-16, in AVC Cup for Women action on Tuesday afternoon at the Philsports Arena.

The Southeast Asian powerhourse rode on Chatchu-on Moksri and Pimpichaya Kokram in the victory, with the two netting sixteen and eleven kills, respectively.

Team captain Pornpun Guedpard shared post-match with their aspirations to end a decade-long title drought, "We have to do our best. We have to play the game within our system."

Back-to-back victories following their setback in the opener against Japan ensures a second place finish in Pool A, with the likelihood of facing the Philippines in the quarterfinals, provided the hosts hold their own in their remaining prelims schedule.

Kan Ko-Hui and Wu Fang-Yu led Chinese-Taipei with eight points each, with skipper Chang Li-Wen and Liu Shuang-Ling each adding seven markers.

The East Asians stumbled to a 1-2 record and will face the second-best team in Pool A in the quarterfinals on Saturday.

Vietnam tops Pool A in AVC Cup for Women

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Vietnam formally secured the top spot in Pool A of the AVC Cup for Women on Wednesday, taking care of business against Korea, 25-13 25-12 25-16 at the Philsports Arena.

Nguyen Thi Uyen led the team with thirteen points, with Ly Thi Luven adding ten of her own.

The Southeast Asian contenders forced their youthful opposition onto unforced errors, reflecting their lack of experience in international competition. With a 3-0 record, they head into the quarterfinals on Saturday with the momentum.

Reflecting on their campaign so far, Korean captain Hwang Jimin shares, "At first it felt like such a challenge, but as the competition goes by, I feel that everyone in our team in really cooperating and helping one another. So far, it has been a great experience for us."

Korea faces the Philippines in the final game of the prelims on Thursday at 7pm.

Vietnam nets back-to-back wins against Iran

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Vietnam secured its second victory in its prelims of the AVC Cup for Women, defeating Iran in straight sets, 25-17 25-14 25-11.

Skipper Tran Thi Tran Thuy led all scorers with 21 points off twenty spikes and an ace.

Vietnam got themselves in a good rhythm all game long, setting up their team captain for scoring opportunities, as well as establish an effective middle game for both offense and defense, led by Tran Thi Bich Thuy.

Iran struggled throughout with their lack of rhythm on both ends, which was compounded by unforced errors. Skipper Mahsa Kadkhoda led the team with ten spikes.

Vietnam hopes to extend their winning run against Korea on Wednesday at 1pm, whilst Iran seeks to bounce back against the Philippines at 7pm the same day.

Chinese-Taipei edges Australia to enter win column in AVC Cup for Women

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Chinese-Taipei survives a five-set battle against Australia to notch their first win in Pool B of the AVC Cup for Women, 23-25 25-22 25-27 25-21 15-6, on Tuesday afternoon at the Philsports Arena.

Kan Ko-Hui led the team with sixteen points, with Chang Li-Wen adding fifteen of her own, as they bounced back from their defeat to Japan in their opener.

Chang acknowledged that their struggles in service made the match more difficult, even with their six aces. She shares, "I think the first set our service is not very strong, they had good reception. After we got our target, our service is more strong. Maybe, in the fourth set and in the fifth set, is better."

The Taiwanese skipper also praised the effort of the Volleyroos. "They are too tall, we want good defense but it was not easy and the tempo was not very fast," she adds.

Caitlin Tipping led Australia with 27 points, with Rebecca Redgen and Stefanie Weiler combining for 21 points. Tipping and Weiler proved to be a foil up front, with each netting five block points.

The Aussies will try again to snatch a win against Japan on Thursday at 1pm.

As for Chinese-Taipei, they face off against Thailand on Wednesday afternoon, with second place in Pool B on the line.

Iran keeps Korea winless in AVC Cup for Women

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Iran opened their AVC Cup for Women campaign on a winning note, defeating Korea, 25-10 25-15 25-13 on Monday at the Philsports Arena.

Aytak Salamatgharamaleki led all scorers with eleven points, with Elahe Poor Saleh Shahdehsari added ten of her own, as they took advantage of their opposition's lack of experience.

Alessandra Kampedelli shared post-match, "As an Italian coach working in Iran, I am trying to bring in a new methodology, how to select, scout and train talents. Iran has a huge number of players, and this gives a huge possibility to train these talents."

The West Asian side will seek back-to-back wins against Vietnam at 4pm Tuesday, with Korea taking their turn against the Southeast Asian contender at 1pm on Wednesday.

Thailand enters win column in AVC Cup for Women play

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Thailand easily took care of business against Australia on Monday, 25-9 27-25 25-13, to secure their first win in the 2022 iteration of the AVC Cup for Women at the Philsports Arena in Pasig.

Pimpichaya Kokram scored eight of her sixteen points in the first set, nearly matching the Volleyroos' team output in the process. Watchareey Nuanjam and Chatchu-on Moksri each contributed nine markers for the Thais, who bounced back from their straight sets defeat against Japan this past Sunday.

Team captain Pornpun Guedpard shares post-match, "We don't know about the Australian game. We don't know about them, about the spikers. We had to talk about how to play the system of the Thailand team first. Thai first everything today, that's why we win."

Caitlin Tippin led Australia with eleven points, as they competed in first international competition since the start of the pandemic.

Captain Lean Kelly said after the game, "We got 11 new girls. It's a big learning tournament for us, getting used to each other. We are so happy to be out getting together. It's really exciting for us. It's awesome to be in the Philippines."

Thailand will have a chance at back-to-back victories on Wednesday against Chinese-Taipei at 4pm, while Australia faces that same team at 1pm on Tuesday.

China outlasts Vietnam to stay unbeaten in AVC Cup for Women

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In a matchup of perceived Pool A contenders, China outlasted Vietnam in a five-set thriller, 25-12 25-6 29-31 21-25 15-12 on Monday at the Philsports Arena.

Zhou Yetong led the way with 27 points, with Zhuang Yushan adding 21. Wu Mengjie and Hu Mingyuan also help preserve the win with a combined total of 33 points.

Hu and Zhou combined for eight of the team's twelve blocks, as they asserted their dominance up front.

Vietnam looked ready to give up after after scoring a combined eighteen points in the first two sets, but battled back to claim the next two and force a decider. They also made a valiant effort in said decider after trailing 5-9, but the five-time champions held on to secure their second victory.

Thi Nhu Quynh Vi led the Southeast Asian side with fourteen points, with Thi Thanh Thuy Tran and Thi Nguyet Anh Pham contributing thirteen markers each.

China seeks to make it three straight wins as they face the Philippines on 7pm Tuesday night, with Vietnam seeking to bounce back against Iran at 4pm that same day.

Back-to-back wins for Japan in AVC Cup

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Japan moves closer to advancing out of pool play in the AVC Cup for Women after a 25-22 25-22 25-22 victory over Chinese-Taipei on Monday morning at the Philsports Arena.

A Mizuki Tanaka kill capped off the win with her ninth point for the Japanese, with the match lasting 115 minutes. Also with nine points are Miya Nakagawa, which included three blocks and two aces, and Asuka Hamamatsu. Yuki Nishikawa led the team with eleven kills, eight of which came in the first set.

Mika Shibata shared post-match, "It's kinda hard for us to get on our own pace but at the end, we were able to play our volleyball. That was really nice." The setter adds, "We are getting better and better, little by little. We got to play our volleyball. The fact that we are winning two games in a row, that's great."

Chang Li-Wen led Chinese-Taipei with sixteen points, while Lin Shu-Ho added ten of her own. The team will look to bounce back against Australia on Tuesday at 1pm.

Japan faces Australia to wrap up Pool B action on Thursday at 1pm

Philippines bow to Vietnam in AVC Cup for Women

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The Philippines dropped its opening assignment to Vietnam in the AVC Cup for Women on Sunday night at the PhilSports Arena, 19-25 17-25 29-31.

The first two sets saw the hosts go on a strong start, with their counterparts eventually catching up, and then overtaking them to go ahead 2-0.

In the final set, Vietnam managed to go ahead and even reach matchpoint at 24-23, but Jeanatte Panaga's kill tied things up and forced the extension.

From there, both sides went toe-to-toe, with the Philippines even managing to be at the cusp of clinching the set. Unfortunately, a Tots Carlos net violation gave the win to Vietnam.

Kyla Atienza starred for the country in a losing effort, keeping rallies alive with her digs and receptions to give her squad a chance for potential scoring opportunities. She shared to the media afterwards, "I'm very proud, especially when I do see those fans who cheer for us. I'm very happy right now." The FEU alumna adds about their opponents, "They are very good. For me, it's a good experience and the exposure to play against other countries."

Tran Tri Tranh Thuy led the way for Vietnam with twenty points, as she and the rest of the team will look to make it back-to-back wins, with China up next at 1pm Monday.

China also happens to be the team the Philippines will face next, which will take place on Tuesday night.

Japan claims their AVC Cup opener

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Japan got themselves on the board in the 2022 edition of the AVC Cup for Women, as they completed a 25-18 25-19 25-22 victory over Thailand on Sunday afternoon at the PhilSports Arena.

Yuki Nishikawa led the team with twenty points, Miyu Nakagawa added nineteen with Mizuki Tanaka was the third player in double figures with eleven.

Mika Shibata shared post-match, "We wanted to improve our offensive play. That's our goal for the next game." The setter and team captain adds, "That was really a great game."

The Southeast Asian powerhouse almost forced a fourth set, as Pimpichaya Kokram saved a matchpoint to cut the deficit to 24-22, but a Nishikawa kill racked up her ninth point in the set and put a period to the match after 91 minutes.

Japan looks to make it back-to-back wins as they open Matchday 2 against Chinese-Taipei at 10am.

Chatchu-on Moksri led Thailand with twenty points, with Sasipapron Janthawisut added eight. They have a chance to bounce back against Australia at 4pm.

China impress in AVC Cup opener

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The opening match for the 2022 edition of the AVC Cup for Women commenced with a quick beatdown by China against Korea, 25-9 25-8 25-9.

Zhuang Yushan led all scorers with thirteen points, with eight of them coming in the third set. Zhou Yetong and Hu Mingyuan added eleven and ten points, respectively.

Sun Haiping was not only lethal with her sets, but also at the service line, firing five aces.

Korea sent a young team composed of high school standouts with the aim of getting them some high-level international play, and the Chinese provided a baptism of fire, needed just 69 minutes to finish the matchup.

Choi Yeonghye shares through an interpreter, "The rest of the teams are all seniors while we are all young generation. So we will learn more and more throughout the competition."

She adds about the Chinese, "They are strong, they have the height and everything. They gave us a hard time."

Choi Hosun led the team with seven points, while Kim Seyul added three points.

China resumes their quest for a sixth AVC Cup title at 1pm against Vietnam, while Korea tries to bounce back against Iran at 7pm.