Captain Trần Thị Thanh Thúy of Việt Nam 1 (No 3) makes a spike during the VTV Cup final between Việt Nam 1 and Việt Nam 2. Việt Nam 1 won 3-0. Photo thanhnien.vn

HÀ NỘI — Việt Nam 1 beat Việt Nam 2 3-0 to win the International Women's Volleyball Tournament, VTV Cup, on August 26 in Lào Cai Province.

Gathering the best players of the nation, the Việt Nam 1 squad faced almost no difficulties to dominate the match against their junior teammates of Việt Nam 2.

Under the leadership of captain Trần Thị Thanh Thúy, Việt Nam 1 opened consecutive attacks that tore Việt Nam 2's defence into pieces. They won 25-14 in the first set.

In the second set coach Nguyễn Tuấn Kiệt fielded young players who could not keep up with the pace of the game, leading to Việt Nam 2's fight back. The junior team levelled the score at 17-17 and went on to lead 18-17 for the first time.

It forced experienced Đoàn Thị Lâm Oanh, Trần Tú Linh, Đinh Thị Trà Giang to come back to the court. They struggled to get the set balanced again before winning 26-24.

The third set saw a strong effort from the Việt Nam 2 girls but they could not do much when the Việt Nam 1 played with the strongest line-up.

Thúy's storm volleys were a key weapon that helped Việt Nam 1 run ahead and wrap up the set at 25/19.

The winning team secured US$12,000 bonus and as the first runners-up Việt Nam 2 received $7,000.

The third place went to Choco Mucho Club of the Philippines who beat Kansai University of Japan  25-20, 23-25, 25-13 for a bonus of $5,000.

The organisers also presented awards to the best individuals including MVP Thanh Thúy and Miss Volleyball Kiều Trinh, both of Việt Nam 1.

After the annual VTV Cup, 12 players will be called for the Asian Volleyball Championship from August 30-September 6 in Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand, and the Asian Games in late September in China. VNS