LPB Ninh Binh won a ticket to the world tournament
As expected, LPB Ninh Binh is Vietnam's number 1 hope at the 2024 Asian Volleyball Club Championship. Coach Thai Thanh Tung brought to Thailand the strongest squad with 3 players: Bich Tuyen, Nguyen Thi Trinh, Le Thanh Thuy and foreign player Warisara.
The ancient capital team won 2 and lost 1 in the group stage; defeated Duc Giang Chemicals in the quarterfinals; overcame Kuanysh VC in the semi-finals before losing to NEC Red Rockets in the final to win the runner-up position of the tournament, and also got a ticket to participate in the 2024 World Club Volleyball Championship, taking place in December in China.
Throughout the tournament, Bich Tuyen was the most outstanding player of LPB Ninh Binh. The 2000-born setter scored 151 points after 6 matches. This achievement also helped her become the only player to score over 100 points in this tournament.
Coach Thai Thanh Tung's tactical mark in this tournament was also clearly shown when the attacking players he launched all played effectively. The defense was strengthened with the appearance of main striker Dinh Thi Thuy.
Journalist Nguyen Luu commented: "LPB Ninh Binh winning the runner-up position and getting a ticket to the world tournament is not surprising to me. The outstanding players of this team in the last tournament are still familiar faces. Besides, we have to mention foreign player Warisara, only 19 years old but has a confident, intelligent, fierce playing style and always smiles on the field.
I believe that the recently concluded Asian tournament will be a stepping stone for LPB Ninh Binh for the second phase of the 2024 national championship. Coach Thai Thanh Tung still has a lot to adjust such as first-step catching skills, player coordination, more diverse attacks... so that the team can have good results in the domestic arena."
Duc Giang Chemicals needs to improve many aspects
The strongest squad of Duc Giang Chemicals that coach Pham Van Long brought to Thailand did not have many stars. Besides player Tu Linh, the current runner-up of the national championship of Vietnam only had a few notable players such as Bich Thuy, Hong Ngat or foreign player Tichaya.
Tu Linh and her teammates won 1 and lost 2 in the group stage; lost to LPB Ninh Binh in the quarter-finals and won the ranking match to end the tournament in 5th place.
"The professional quality that Duc Giang Chemicals team showed in the 2024 Asian Club Championship was average. This was expected. Some experienced domestic players such as Tu Linh and Hong Ngat still maintained their form. Middle blocker Tran Thi Bich Thuy also found herself again with smart, high-performance attacks.
But they have many shortcomings. Ly Thi Luyen is a player who is still quite slow when playing on the field. Duc Giang Chemicals hired foreign player Elena (Russia), but this player is old and has not yet adapted to the general playing style, leading to a situation where the game is not smooth.
Besides, in my opinion, the coaching staff, especially head coach Pham Van Long, needs to be more flexible and gentle in directing the players to avoid psychological problems. Returning to phase II of the 2024 national championship, I think Duc Giang Chemicals will face many difficulties and need to make a lot of effort," journalist Nguyen Luu assessed.
