The secret behind the historic medal of Vietnamese women's volleyball at the FIVB Challenge Cup
Winning against the Belgian team in the third place match, the female players brought home a historic medal for Vietnamese volleyball in the world arena.
The Vietnamese women's team showed commendable progress in terms of expertise and achievements in their first return to the FIVB Challenge Cup. Starting with a 3-0 victory (25-14, 25-22, 25-21) over the Philippines, coach Nguyen Tuan Kiet and his team won for the first time and qualified for the quarterfinals on the world stage.
Despite losing 0-3 (0-3 (19-25, 14-25, 19-25) to the Czech Republic, missing the chance to reach the final, this defeat did not discourage the Vietnamese players. On the contrary, their determination was multiplied in the third place match against Belgium, the team currently ranked 13th in the world (Vietnam ranked 32nd).
The development of the competition for the bronze medal showed the careful preparation of coach Nguyen Tuan Kiet's team. In particular, maximizing the scoring ability of the main attacker Bich Tuyen and flexible tactical response throughout the match were the keys to victory.
In this match, Bich Tuyen scored a total of 35 points in 4 sets, of which, in set 1 alone, she scored 11 points with powerful smashes with a maximum speed of up to 107 km/h. The main attacker born in 2000 contributed greatly to the victory of the Vietnam Women's Team.
On the other side of the net, the world's 13th ranked team has seen a strong rejuvenation but is led by outstanding players Manon Stragier and Pauline Martin. Compared to recent tournaments, Belgium's strength has declined and their performance has been less convincing.
The third place match ended after a long chase in 4 sets with a 3-1 victory for the Vietnamese players with the scores of 25-23, 23-25, 25-20, 25-17. This victory helped the women's volleyball team win the bronze medal for the first time in the world tournament.
"I don't know what to say about this victory. We are extremely happy and excited. The whole team has learned great lessons after the matches in this tournament. Hopefully, the Vietnam Women's Volleyball Team will improve day by day," said captain Tran Thi Thanh Thuy in a post-match interview.
"After the loss to the Czech Republic, we were a bit disappointed. But the team still has a match against the Belgian team, so the players have to quickly regain their spirits. We also consider this a great opportunity to compete with a team from Europe," said Thanh Thuy.
Professional progress when gathering all the best hitters of the present time, along with determination and desire to conquer, has helped coach Nguyen Tuan Kiet and his team create a historical milestone on the world stage.
The FIVB Challenge Cup is a level 2 tournament, after the Nations League of the International Volleyball Federation, and brings together 8 teams from Asia, Europe, Africa and America. To qualify for this tournament, the Vietnamese women's team won the continental tournament AVC Challenge Cup 2024.
Last season, coach Nguyen Tuan Kiet and his team stopped right after the opening match when they lost 0-3 to France, the team that later won the championship and played in the FIVB Nations League 2024. However, a great step forward was shown in the return of the Vietnamese players.
Right after the tournament ended in the Philippines, the Vietnam Volleyball Federation gave the Women's Team a "hot" bonus of 200 million VND. In addition, the shirt sponsor also gave coach Nguyen Tuan Kiet and his team a bonus of 100 million VND.
