Russians too tall an order for Thailand
[VOLLEYBALL] The Thai team found former five-time world champions Russia too strong yesterday and went down after a hard fought four-set thriller in the first leg of the World Grand Prix at the Hong Kong Coliseum.
The Thai girls were led by Wilavan Apinyapong, who scored a match-high 14 points from 37 attempts, and Pleumjit Thinkaow, whose spikes gave the Russians trouble yesterday. After losing the first two sets 25-17 25-15, the Thai girls bounced back in the third set, which they led from the start. They won the thrilling third set 28-26 against their taller rivals and surprised the crowd of more than 4,000 inside the arena. The Russians, four-time Olympic champions, used their height advantage in the fourth set which they won 25-19 to take the match. Despite their 3-1 loss, Thai coach Suttichai Chanbunchee his team played beyond his expectations. "I never expected my girls to win a set from Russia because their team was loaded with individual talent who were much taller than us," he said. "I just told my girls to play their best. My girls proved they were up to the task. "We've improved our blocking and counter-attacks. However, I think we have more to learn, especially how to play an attacking game against taller rivals." Italian Giovanni Caprara, the head coach of the Russian team, also praised the Thai girls, saying they showed improved tactics. "Their attacking plan worked out pretty well," he said. "We played well only in the first two sets, but from then on our form crumbled dramatically. Thailand did a good job today. They came back much stronger this time." The other encounter saw Olympic champions China struggle to hit form before beating World Grand Prix newcomers Azerbaijan 3-2. Brazil beat Cuba nDefending champions Brazil gained some consolation by beating their Athens Olympic nemeses Cuba for their second straight win in the World Grand Prix women's volleyball in Tokyo yesterday. The Brazilian women, who lost to the Cubans in a bronze medal showdown in the 2004 Athens Games, squeezed through to a 25-19 25-27 25-20 25-21 victory in one hour, 47 minutes. For the Cuban women, who have not won a big title since winning the gold medal at the Sydney Olympics in 2000, it was a second straight defeat following their loss to hosts Japan on Friday. "They are the No 1 team in the world, and they were always leading the game," Cuban coach Felipe Calderon said.
Preechachan Wiriyanupappong The Nation Hong Kong
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