VOLLEYBALL – INDONESIA pulled off an incredible victory in five sets against Thailand last night to secure their spot in the quarter-finals of the AVC Men’s Volleyball Nations Cup 2025, currently being hosted by the kingdom.
The Indonesians needed to battle back from two sets down to break the spirits of their rivals 3-2 (22-25, 22-25, 25-19, 25-23, 15-8) in front of a vibrant crowd that supported both teams at Isa Bin Rashid Arena, located at Isa Sports City in Riffa.
The result saw Indonesia take two points from a maximum three in their opening Pool A fixture of the competition’s preliminary round.
Their triumph also helped push Bahrain into the last eight, while eliminating the Thais from further title contention. The Bahrainis had earlier won in four sets against Thailand in their first outing on Tuesday night.
Indonesia and Bahrain clash tonight in the preliminary round’s concluding fixture to determine who will go into the quarters as Pool A winners. The hosts are currently in first place with three points. Thailand will next play for ninth-to-11th classification.
Meanwhile, Vietnam and Chinese Taipei were others to take wins yesterday in their respective pools. The Vietnamese cruised past New Zealand in three sets in Pool D, while Chinese Taipei ground out a four-set win against the Philippines in Pool C.
With those outcomes, the field in the round of eight was completed as both Vietnam and Chinese Taipei also secured their berths. Joining them were South Korea from Pool D and Pakistan from Pool C, both of whom were victors in their opening assignments, while defending champions Qatar and Australia are already through as the only two teams from Pool B.
Today’s concluding gameday in the preliminaries is scheduled to start from 11.30am. Entrance throughout the tournament is free and all are welcome to enjoy the exciting volleyball action.
Determined to make up for their setback against Bahrain and keep their quarter-final hopes alive, Thailand got off to a strong start yesterday against Indonesia and took a commanding two-set advantage.
But the Indonesians roared back and as they stepped their level up in a big way. They staved off a late deficit in the fourth set and sent the match into the tie-break, where they rode their momentum until the very end to complete their sensational comeback.
“We really wanted to win this game because how many times in the past we lost to Thailand,” said Indonesia’s outside hitter and star Farhan Halim.
“In the first and second sets, we had too many errors from our serve, block, and attack. We tried to play better in the next sets and we did to win the match.
“Tomorrow we must win again with Bahrain, but it will be more difficult.”
Halim and middle blocker Hendra Kurniawan were Indonesia’s top scorers, posting 17 points apiece. Kurniawan was a force defensively, scoring five block points in the win. Outside hitter Doni Haryono and opposite spiker Rivan Nurmulki added 14 points apiece, while outside hitter Boy Arnez Arabi was their fifth player in double figures with 11.
For the Thais, skipper and opposite spiker Amornthep Khonhan had 24 points, while outside hitters Chaiwat Thungkham and Anurak Phanram scored 12 and 11, respectively.
In Vietnam’s win, they banked on their superior attack to come away with the 3-0 (25-23, 25-22, 25-15) sweep.
Nguyen Van Quoc Duy scored 17 points, while fellow-outside hitter Ngoc Thuan Nguyen and middle blocker Duy Tuyen Tran finished with 11 points apiece. For the Kiwis, outside hitter Mana Placid was their top man with 16 points, while opposite spiker Seth Grant had eight.
Vietnam next play South Korea today for Pool D supremacy, while New Zealand will compete for ninth-to-11th classification.
“It was a good game – we had some faults so it was not our best, but we will try to do better next time,” said Vietnam’s Ngoc Thuan Nguyen through an interpreter. “We want to try our best in order to bring a medal to our country.”
In Pool C, Chinese Taipei triumphed in their opening match of the tournament, edging past the Philippines 3-1 (25-19, 23-25, 30-28, 25-20).
Chinese Taipei secured their place in the quarter-finals with the result, which was the second straight loss for the Filipinos, who were eliminated from further title contention.
Chinese Taipei will now face Pakistan in both teams’ concluding group assignment to determine who takes first place heading into the last eight.
“We faced quite some pressure in this game because the Philippines are a strong team,” Chinese Taipei head coach Huang Hung-Yu said through an interpreter. “We watched their game against Pakistan yesterday and we play a similar style.
“After winning today, our goal is now to be in the semi-finals.”
Opposite spiker Yu-Sheng Chang was the team’s leading scorer in the contest with 24 points. Outside hitters Yi-Kai Wen and skipper Yu-Chen Chang chipped in with 14 and 12, respectively, while middle blockers Ping Hsun Wang and Li Chun-Yu scored eight apiece.
Across the net, Philippine captain and outside hitter Marck Espejo scored 26 points in the losing effort, while opposite spiker Leo Ordiales had 15. Middle blocker Rwenzmel Taguibolos added nine markers. The Filipinos will compete for ninth-to-11th classification.
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