A win at long last for the Thai team
[VOLLEYBALL] The Thai team avenged their loss last week to Azerbaijan by bouncing back with a 3-2 win to claim their first victory in the World Grand Prix in Taiwan yesterday.
The Thai team, which lost to Azerbaijan last week in the first leg of the tournament in Hong Kong, made a solid start to take the first set 25-21. However the Azerbaijanis, who finished fourth in the European championships, used their experience to win the next two sets 25-18 25-17. After some thrilling rallies in the fourth set, Thailand hung on and won a tight set 25-23 before storming on to win the decider 15-10 and the match. "We have won at last," said Thai coach Suttichai Chanbunchee. "I'm very happy with my girls' form. I did not expect my girls to beat Azerbaijan. They are one of the strongest teams here." Azerbaijan coach Faig Garyev said: "Thailand played exceptionally well today. We beat them 3-2 in Hong Kong, but not this time. My girls are also tired of playing five sets in every match." The Thai squad are due to arrive back in Bangkok at noon today to prepare for the third leg of the competition at the Nimibutr Gymnasium from September 1-3, with five-time world champions and four-time Olympic winners Russia, the US, South Korea and Thailand pitted against one another.
Preechachan Wiriyanupappong The Nation Taipei
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