Vietnam's representative at the 2024 Volleyball Club World Championship, LPB Ninh Binh, has suffered its first two defeats. Coach Thai Thanh Tung's team lost to NEC Red Rockets (0-3) and Imoco Conegliano (0-3).
This result is not unexpected because the Ancient Capital team is participating in the world arena for the first time, and their strength and performance are not highly appreciated. Their opponents are the world's top teams, even candidates for this year's championship.
The bright spot in LPB Ninh Binh's squad is still captain Nguyen Thi Bich Tuyen. The setter born in 2000 was the team's top scorer in the first two matches.
In the opening match, against a NEC Red Rockets team with a disciplined defense, Bich Tuyen still had strong smashes that made it difficult for the opponent. Although the passes of setter Hoai Mi in that match were not really effective, limiting the attacking ability of the players, Bich Tuyen still managed skillfully, making good adjustments to finish.
According to statistics from the organizers, Bich Tuyen scored 15 points (12 points for attack and 3 points for blocking). The 2000-born hitter is LPB Ninh Binh's number 1 scorer, followed by Nguyen Thi Trinh (7 points), Dang Thi Hong (5 points), Le Thanh Thuy (4 points) and Warisara (1 point).
In the second match, LPB Ninh Binh's opponent was the world's number 1 team, also a strong candidate for the championship this year, Imoco Conegliano. Although the European team only fielded a reserve team, those faces were enough to make it difficult for the Vietnamese representative in their attacks.
However, this was a match that witnessed the mettle of LPB Ninh Binh and Bich Tuyen personally. Coach Thai Thanh Tung's students played very confidently throughout all 3 rounds. At some points, the Vietnamese representative even took the lead, creating many difficulties for the world's top club.
Bich Tuyen scored 13 points in this match, the 4th highest scorer in the match, only behind 3 stars of Imoco Conegliano. After being constantly caught by the opponent at the beginning of the match, the Vinh Long-born setter showed her strength with powerful overhand smashes.
The above score is a commendable achievement of Bich Tuyen when she had to face a "huge" height blocker on the opponent's side. As of the afternoon of December 18, Bich Tuyen is still in the top 5 players with the best score and attack in this year's tournament.
Her performance also received many compliments from newspapers and volleyball news sites around the world.
On the other hand, Bich Tuyen's continuous possession of the ball and scoring also shows that LPB Ninh Binh relies too much on this passer. However, in the world arena, against opponents of a superior level, this is also understandable.
With the last 2 losses, the chance to continue for LPB Ninh Binh is almost gone. However, with the goal of competing for experience and not focusing on results, Bich Tuyen and her teammates are still in a very comfortable mood, looking forward to the final match of the group stage against Dentil Praia Clube (Brazil) on December 19.
