Basketball

LPBank Ninh Bình finish second in the 2024 Asian Women’s Club Volleyball Championship on September 29 in Thailand. Photos of AVC

HÀ NỘI LPBank Ninh Bình will make Việt Nam's second appearance at the 2024 FIVB Volleyball Women's Club World Championship after winning silver at a regional tournament on Sunday in Thailand.

The Vietnamese club stormed to the final of the 2024 Asian Women’s Club Volleyball Championship after a brilliant performance throughout the eight-day event.

In the gold-medal match, all players were determined, but they could not overthrow Japan’s powerful NEC Red Rockets Kawasaki, which took the title with straight sets of 25-16, 25-15 and 25-17 at Chartchai Hall in Thailand's Nakhon Ratchasima Province.

Lorrayna Da Silva bested all scorers on the board, contributing a total of 18 points in the title match.

The Japanese club immediately rocketed to a huge 8-0 advantage on the scoreboard, and more so for the team’s morale. The point deficit seriously worried their opponents, who used up the timeout quota for the first set.

LPBank Ninh Bình could not seem to establish their usual rhythm shown throughout the competition. They managed to run their plays with captain Nguyễn Thị Bích Tuyền but the team in general posted a low percentage on attack.

The NEC Red Rockets Kawasaki appeared to find a way to limit, if not completely stop, the scoring output of their opponent’s number one hitter. They continued lining up their blocks well, converting on a total of five deflections in the second set.

Japan’s Da Silva kept a strong presence at the right flank. Yoshino Sato performed equally well in attacking and passing. While their opponents were trying to play along each sideout in the hopes of staging a comeback, the NEC Red Rockets managed to keep the momentum going in their quest for the title.

The trophy in Nakhon Ratchasima represented the second title for the Japanese club, which also won the championship in 2016 in Manila, Philippines.

Sato was hailed as the Most Valuable Player of the tournament. She was joined by teammates Shiori Tsukada (Best Setter), Haruyo Shimamura (Best Middle Blocker) and Sayaka Daizukono (Best Libero) in the roster of awardees.

Captain Nguyễn Thị Bích Tuyền of Vietnamese LPBank Ninh Bình is the Best Opposite of the tournament. — Photo of AVC

LPBank Ninh Bình bagged two awards for captain Tuyền (Best Opposite) and Warisara Seetaloed (Best Outside Hitter), filling out the championship's Dream Team.

Earlier, hosts Nakhon Ratchasima Qmin C VC bested Kazakhstan’s Kuanysh VC in straight sets 25-22, 25-18 and 25-21 to finish third.

Another Vietnamese representative, Đức Giang Chemical, beat Monolith Sky Risers of the Philippines 25-18, 25-15 and 25-10 to take the fifth place.

NEC Red Rockets Kawasaki and LPBank Ninh Bình will be the Asian representatives at the world championship, which will be held in December in China. VNS