Volleyball 

VTV Bình Điền Long An finish second in Asian championship, booking a place in the 2025 FIVB Volleyball Women’s Club World Championship. Photo of AVC

HÀ NỘI  VTV Bình Điền Long An arrived home safe and sound today proud of their silver medal and, more importantly, a world championship place from the first AVC Women’s Volleyball Champions League.

The Vietnamese champions lost 3-1 (25-14, 20-25, 25-23, 25-18) to Kazakhstan’s Zhetysu VC in the final on Sunday in the PhilSports Arena in Pasig, Metro Manila, the Philippines.  

Zhetysu VC played to their strengths in the frontline, with Tatyana Nikitina and captain Karyna Denysova posting on attack. When their opponents would counter, they were ever ready to confront with their block formation. What completed their Kazakh club’s play in the first set was their strategic serving, that sent their opponents off to commit miscues. 

Bình Điền Long An played more fluidly in the second set, with Vi Thị Như Quỳnh and captain Trần Thị Thanh Thúy looking more prolific from their respective zones. They played with better floor coverage, to give them the time and space to successfully counter against the taller opponents. 

Captain Trần Thị Thanh Thúy scores remarkable 28 points in the final match, winning MVP award of the match and Best Opposite of the tournament. -- Photo of VAC

Bình Điền Long An’s scoring duo continued fire from both the flank and the backline, also adding serves that were too powerful for the opponents to handle.  

The Kazakh club needed to remember its prime strength in the match in order to turn things over. They reverted to their advantage in blocking and also started serving more aggressively, closing out the third set with a monster block from Valeriya Yakutina. 

By the fourth set, Zhetysu VC looked formidable as ever. They exerted maximum effort in all aspects of the game. They served well, they lined up their blocks effectively and they attacked and defended well enough to take all the steam out of their opponents. Without ever looking back, the Kazakh club seized the closing plays with only a victory and the trophy in mind. 

Along with that championship trophy, Zhetysu VC took home the top prize purse of US$20,000. 

VTV Bình Điền Long An club line up with their medals. -- Photo of VAC

The runners-up Bình Điền Long An received silver medals, along with $15,000 in prize money.

The victory ceremony which capped Sunday evening’s proceedings, also honoured the competition’s best players with three players of Bình Điền Long An receiving individual awards. 

Quỳnh was the Best Outside Hitter, Thúy was named Best Opposite and Nguyễn Khánh Đang was Best Libero.

Both teams will now proceed to represent the Asian Volleyball Confederation in the 2025 FIVB Volleyball Women’s Club World Championship with schedules and the host city to be announced at a later date.

It will be the third year in a row that a Việt Nam team has qualified for the world event. It was held at Sport Centre 1 in Hà Nội in 2023 and Liên Việt Post Bank Ninh Bình in 2024.

Earlier, Thailand’s Nakhon Ratchasima QminC VC bagged the bronze medal and third place trophy after winning 3-1 (25-21, 21-25, 25-21, 25-19) against China’s BAIC Motor Volleyball Club.

The Thai team took home $10,000 as the bronze medalists, while BAIC Motor received $5,000. VNS