VOLLEYBALL: Thailand ended their Volleyball Nations League (VNL) 2023 campaign with a defeat against Brazil at Hua Mark Indoor Stadium on Sunday (July 2).
Chatchu-On Moksri spikes the ball as Soraya Phomla looks on during the match against Brazil on Sunday night (July 2). Photo: Volleyballworld.com / Bangkok Post
The Thai team lost to Brazil 3-0 (25-20, 25-16, 25-23) – their fourth straight defeat in the final week in the preliminary phase of the tournament and 10th overall.
They also lost to Japan, the Netherlands and Turkey on home soil, reports the Bangkok Post.
They won only two games – against Canada and South Korea – during the first week of competition in Antalya, Turkey.
Thailand, who played in front of a sold-out stadium for the fourth time last week, couldn’t deliver a win for their passionate fans, finishing 14th in the 16-team preliminary phase.
However, the fans did get to see a stellar performance from Chatchu-On Moksri, who produced 20 points, with 18 kills, one ace and one block.
Italy ended the preliminary phase with a win as the defending champions topped Japan 3-1 (25-23, 25-23, 17-25, 25-22) earlier Sunday.
Poland finished on top of the standings with 29. Hosts United States, Turkey, Brazil, China, Italy, Japan and Germany completed the line-up for the VNL Finals that will take place in Arlington, Texas, on July 12-16.
Brazil, led by an 18-point performance from their star player Gabriela ‘Gabi’ Guimaraes, bounced back from two straight defeats to make it to the quarter-finals where they will play fifth-placed China.
The other three quarter-finals will have Poland meeting eighth-placed Germany, second-placed US battling seventh-placed Japan and third-placed Turkey meeting sixth-placed Italy.
The first two days of the finals will feature the quarter-finals, with two matches taking place on each day.
The winning teams will have a day off on July 14 before returning to the court on July 15 for the semi-finals. The medal matches will end the fourth edition of the tournament on July 16.
