Thai team go down fighting
[VOLLEYBALL] The Thai women's team were unlucky not to get a win in their final match in the first leg of the World Grand Prix in Hong Kong yesterday, with Azerbaijan coming back from two sets down to claim a hard-fought game 3-2.
The Thai team did not win a match in Hong Kong, losing their first two games to the highly ranked Chinese and Russian teams and their final game to Azerbaijan. But despite their losses, the Thai girls performed well and gave gutsy displays against mostly taller rivals, and the crowds in Hong Kong showed their appreciation. The Thai team's best performance at the meet was against Azerbaijan yesterday, with their strong defence and great attacking play earning them the first two sets 25-20 25-22. But the fired-up Azerbaijanis, led by Natalya Mammadova who scored a match-high 32 points, stormed back to take the remaining three sets 25-19 25-20 16-14 and the match. Thai coach Suttichai Chanbunchee was far from disappointed with his team's performance, despite them not winning a game in Hong Kong. "My girls played beyond my early expectations," he said. "We stood a chance to win this match. It was only when we lost the crucial third and fourth sets that my girls started to make more mistakes on receiving and serving. "I'm happy with the way my girls played today." Thai captain Patcharee Sangmuang admitted her team missed their chance to win the match. "I think we did a good job today," she said. "Everyone was dedicated and determined to win the match, but our serves were not that good. We just let our chances slip away." Azerbaijan coach Faig Garyev praised the Thai team, saying they came from nowhere to beat his team in the first two sets. "We gained experience after we played Thailand," he said. "They are one of the strong teams in this year's World Grand Prix. "I hope my girls will do a better job when we meet Thailand again in the next leg in Taiwan." The unbeaten Chinese team won the Hong Kong leg of the World Grand Prix, followed by Russia. Azerbaijan finished third, with Thailand fourth. The Thai and Azerbaijan teams head to Taiwan today for the second leg of the four-week tournament. In Taiwan both teams will face world champions Italy and three-time Olympic champions Cuba. The Russian team will go to South Korea to compete in the second leg against Poland, Japan and South Korea, with the Chinese team flying to Macau to face the Dominican Republic, the US and defending two-time World Grand Prix champions Brazil.
Preechachan Wiriyanupappong The Nation Hong Kong
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