AVC WOMEN’S WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP QUALIFIER
- Baluan Sholak Sports Palace; Almaty, Kazakhstan (Pool A)
- Nakhon Pathom Gymnasium; Nakhon Pathom Thailand (Pool B)
- Sept. 20-24, 2017
- Schedule/Results
Chinese Taipei is atop Pool A alongside China after sweeping Chinese Taipei on Friday. Both boast a 2-0 mark and are on a collision course for a Sunday battle for pool supremacy.
Meanwhile three teams are tied at 2-0 atop Pool B as North Korea and South Korea picked up their second wins of the qualifier on Friday.
The top two teams in each five team pool qualify for the 2018 World Championships.
Pool A
Chinese Taipei def. Fiji 3-0 (25-9, 25-12, 25-10)
Kazakhstan def. Australia 3-1 (25-15, 25-6, 22-25, 25-9)
Chinese Taipei went deep in its bench in a sweep of Fiji, while Chang Li-Yun led the way with 10 points.
The victors won all major statistical categories, racking up 45 kills, four blocks and six aces, while minimizing their errors.
“By using our bench players, it was a great opportunity for us to adjust and vary our pace,” Chinese Taipei coach Lin Ming-Hui said. “We have a total of four matches, and the last two will be the most challenging for us.”
Chinese Taipei picked apart the Fiji defense with serves and hitting attempts in a 25-9 Set 1 drubbing. In Set 2, the bench stepped in and registered a 25-12 win. Passing woes plagued Fiji in a 25-10 Set 3 loss.
Pool B
North Korea def.. Vietnam 3-0 (25-21, 25-22, 25-20)
South Korea def. Iran 3-0 (25-16, 25-18, 25-20)
Jong Jin Sim led all scorers with 22 points, all on kills, to lift North Korea to its second straight win, this time in a sweep of Vietnam. Ju Un Hyang (10) and Son Hyang Mi (12) joined her with double-digit scoring efforts including four blocks and three aces respectively. Tran Thi Thanh Thuy managed 16 points for Vietnam including 15 kills, while Ha Ngoc Diem chipped in 10 points, with nine kills.
Korea led 5-1 early, but Vietnam battled back to a 19-all tie behind Tan Thi Thanh Thuy and Ha Ngoc Diem. Errors plagued the Vietnamese in the later stages of the 25-21 loss. Vietnam boasted an early 7-5 led in Set 2, but couldn’t hold off in a 25-22 loss. It was a back-and-forth affair in Set 3, but Korea pushed ahead 21-16. Vietnam cut the margin to two at 22-20, Jong Jin Sim took over and closed out the win for the Koreans at 25-20.
South Korea used its experience to overcome Iran’s height in a sweep on Friday. Star Kim Yeonkoung tallied a match-high 11 points, with 10 kills, while Lee Jaeyeong chipped in nine points, with eight kills for the Koreans. Mahsa Sabera was the top scorer for Iran with 11 points, including eight kills.
The No. 10 Koreans jumped out to a 6-0 lead in Set 1 and boosted the margin to seven at 19-12. Saberi’s kills and blocks by Mahta Yahyapour and Neda Chamlanian narrowed the gap to five at 25-16, but Korea closed out the set at 25-16. The Koreans carried the momentum into Set 2, going up 20-14 with help from Iranian miscues en route to a 25-18 win. Down 14-11 in Set 3, Iran charged back to a 17-all tie before falling 25-20.
“Iran have tall players,” Korea head coach Hong Sungjin said. “They served well and came up with powerful attacks today. Fortunately, we practiced a lot for this match. We were confident of beating Iran. I think the tomorrow’s match against Vietnam will be much tougher than this. We focus on that match as well as the last match against hosts Thailand. If we can beat Vietnam on Saturday, we will secure a ticket to Japan for the World Championship Finals next year. However, we will try our best in both remaining matches.”
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