Captain Thanh Thuy: 'I didn't expect to win against Korea'

In the opening match on the evening of August 30, against an opponent 12 ranks higher in the world, Vietnam was under great pressure when losing the first two sets. But, the team then unexpectedly won with a specific score of 22-25, 19-25, 25-23, 25-17, 15-13. The key to this shocking victory was that Korea missed the opportunity to finish off the third set and then lost spirit and strength. On the contrary, Vietnam gradually improved step by step, fighting persistently with excellent blocking.

This is the first time Vietnam has defeated the Korean first team. Captain Thanh Thuy continued to be the main trigger with 25 points, including 20 attack points and five blocking points. "We all know that Korea is very strong with good serving ability. That's why we were very surprised to win," Thanh Thuy said, thanking the team members for fighting. , working together to overcome difficult situations.

According to Thanh Thuy, the victory over South Korea helps the team strengthen its goal of entering the top 4. The owner, born in 1997, emphasized: "We will fight hard for the goal set before the tournament."

Lowering South Korea, Vietnam has a great chance to win Group C, when the other two opponents are underrated, Taiwan and Uzbekistan. If Vietnam wins the group, Vietnam will enter the second round as the number one seed, avoiding a strong opponent and entering the top four finals. In the past, Vietnam's best performance was fifth place twice in 2015 and 2017.

Tran Thi Thanh Thuy, nicknamed "4T", was born in Binh Duong and grew up in Binh Dien Long An volleyball. With a height of 1.93 m, she used to be the tallest female volleyball player in Vietnam before being surpassed by Ly Thi Luyen (1.96 m). Since 2015, Thanh Thuy has regularly played for foreign clubs such as Bangkok Glass (Thailand), Attack Line VC (Taiwan), Denso Airybees and is currently a key player of PFU Bluecats (Japan).

Thanh Thuy is gradually becoming the best owner in the history of Vietnamese women's volleyball. In 2023, she helped the team win the AVC Challenge Cup, becoming the best player in the tournament. Previously, the team under the name Sport Center I won the 2023 Asian Club Championship and "4T" was also an excellent athlete.

This afternoon, August 31, Vietnam will play the second match against Uzbekistan.

The 2023 Asian Women's Volleyball Championship will be held in Thailand from August 30 to September 6 with 14 participating teams. After 20 times, China leads with 13 championships, followed by Japan (5) and Thailand (2).