Vietnam earned the chance to defend its crown by advancing to the gold medal match of the 2024 AVC Challenge Cup for Women with a 25-21, 25-19, 25-16 victory over Australia in the semifinals at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum in Manila on Tuesday.
The Vietnamese team has yet to lose in five games this tournament.
It will face the winner of the other semifinal match between Alas Pilipinas and Kazakhstan, scheduled for 7:00 PM tonight.
Vietnam star Tran Thi Thanh Thuy has yet to play in this cup, and according to team manager Le Than Minh Chau, the chances of her playing in the final are “very slim.”
“The first set saw Vietnam have a slow start and it took a while to get into the swing of things… we were fortunate to get the win,” said Nguyen Thi Bich Tuyen through an interpreter.
“Vietnam has already played Kazakhstan, but we haven’t played the Philippines yet. Either team will be a really difficult opponent for Vietnam in the final,” continued the 24-year-old opposite spiker, who scored 24 points on 21 attacks and three aces.
Tran Tu Linh also performed well for Vietnam, contributing 13 points, including three service aces, with the team committing only 10 errors.
While the Volleyroos demonstrated their height advantage in blocking (10-1), the Vietnamese side more than compensated with their performance in spikes and service.
They dominated those categories 48-30 and 10-6, respectively.
The Australians still have a chance to bring home a medal in the battle for third place.
Leading the way for the Volleyroos was Caitlin Tipping with 20 points on 15 attacks, four blocks, and an ace.
However, she lacked sufficient support, as Kasey Hogan and Kara Inskip were the next-highest scorers with just six points each.
