Thailand put on a surprisingly stunning performance at 14th Asian Senior Women's Volleyball Championship in Thailand's northeastern province Nakhon Ratchasima on Wednesday.
At The Mall Nakhon Ratchasima's MCC Hall, the in-form Japan, which had beaten defending champion China in Sunday's match, proved its power over the host team by 27-25, 25-18, 23-25, 25-17. The victory came as no surprise, but apparently with no ease.
Amid the roaring cheer of a Thai spectator, the Thai girls took the initiative to stage a fierce offensive against Japan, the Doha Asian Games champion.
Seemed stunned by its opponent's momentum, Japan had to rely on a strong defensive line to offset its frequent loss at serving. The first three sets has witnessed a see-saw competition between the two teams, both of whom had kept a unbeaten record before Wednesday 's encounter.
It was until the fourth set that Japan regained advantage by launching a fierce counterattack.
Up till now, Thailand has secured a top-four place in the tournament as it previously targeted, and booked their berths to play in the next year's World Olympic Qualification Tournament in Japan and the World Grand Prix.
In an earlier match for the top-eight finals round, South Korean beat Chinese Taipei in a 3-0 straight-set win.
South Korea faced close contender Chinese Taipei but managed to secure a straight-set win 25-17, 25-16, 27-25.
Other contests in the same round for Wednesday will see China vs Kazakhstan, Australia vs Vietnam.
The 1st-8th finals round will continue into Thursday, the last day of the Asian Volleyball Confederation (AVC) tournament, which will also place the final winner.
The unbeaten Japan is now largely expected to be crowned, after it surprisingly beat China in a straight-set win on Sunday.
The nine-day, 13-team Asian meet, which opened on Sept. 5, is regarded as a qualification tournament for the Japan-hosted World Cup in this November, the Japan-hosted Olympic Games Qualification Tournament next May and the 2008 World Grand Prix.
Source: Xinhua
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