Thai volleyballers stun China with first AVC Cup win
Thailand's women volleyball team has ended its season with a bang by landing the Asian Volleyball Confederation's prestigious AVC Cup for the first time.
The in-form Thailand team on Sunday night pulled off a stunning 3-1 (30-28 25-27 25-21 25-20) victory over the consecutive two-time defending champions and current Asian winners, China, in a thrilling clash of the titans.
The Thai team is No 12 on the International Federation of Volleyball (FIVB) world rankings, while China is No 5.
It was another remarkable success for the Thai team after they captured Thai hearts with their gutsy performance in this year's World Grand Prix to finish in an incredible fourth place. There, they overpowered the much stronger China, Japan, Serbia and Dominican Republic, all of which made the cut for the recent London Olympic Games.
The Thailand women's volleyball team caused a stir back in 2009 when it brushed off perennial winners China to be crowned the eventual Asian champions for the first time.
History repeated itself in Almaty, Kazakhstan, on Sunday night. Both Thailand and China did not lose a single match to their respective rivals en route to the showdown.
The final rematch saw China - which mercilessly crushed the same team of rivals in straight sets in the 2010 final - rely on their power and height advantage, while the Thais used speed and exceptional tactics to outwit the defending champions.
The Thai players played better tactically and technically and the Chinese could not stem the onslaughts led by hard-attacking Onuma Sittirak.
Much to the surprise of the Chinese fans, Thailand won the hard-fought four-set thriller and the maiden title in this biennial competition.
Aside from the coveted AVC Cup, Thailand claimed four individual awards - the Best Setter for Nootsara Tomkom, and the Best Attacker, the Best Scorer and the Most Valuable Player for Onuma Sittirak.
Credit for the Thai team's victory went to devoted head coach Kiattipong Radchatagriengkai, who has been with the team since it played its debut World Championship in 2002.
"China showed their best assets and played in high spirits. My players also poured everything in to win this crucial match. Both sides were very tired from their tough early matches and it was very hard to compete with good players," Kiattipong said.
"I'm delighted that although my players were very tired, they were positive in the way they attempted to beat the best. This competition is very important for us as we have never won it before and we are extremely proud of this achievement."
The Thai team was due to arrive at Suvarnabhumi Airport early today.
The Thailand women's volleyball team's season has now ended. Next year's competition will start in June with the Asian Women's Club Championship, which the Thai team will play under Chang's banner.
Seven team players - including Onuma, Nootsara, Pleumjit Thinkaow and Wilavan Apinyapon - are looking to playing in the professional Azerbaijan League with the Igtisadchi Baku team, from October 15 to May 15.
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