Phase 1 of the 2025 National Volleyball Championship is taking place at the Dong Anh District Gymnasium (Hanoi). The tournament has entered the 5th day of competition and surprises in the matches have occurred.
In the women's event, Vietinbank's 3-1 victory over the Information Corps - TCT Dong Bac (March 24.4) was considered the first shock of the tournament. Because the army team is highly appreciated this season for possessing a quick playing style and tight strategy under coach Pham Van Long. While Vietinbank owns a squad with many young faces and not much playing experience.
However, in that match, coach Nguyen Tuan Kiet of Vietinbank cautiously gave the most optimal lineup. The three key attackers, Dang Thi Hong, Vi Thi Nhu Quynh and foreign player Jelena Vulin, helped the Banking team to be flexible and effective. Along with the continuous errors of the Information Corps - Dong Bac Control, especially in the blocking phase, Vietinbank had a final victory after 4 sets.
The second surprise of the women's event came from the match between Duc Giang Chemicals and LPB Ninh Binh (March 5). These are two teams competing directly for a top 4 position, so fans expect a dramatic and exciting match.
Although there are 2 notable players in the squad, foreign player Sharon Chepchumba and middle blocker Tran Thi Bich Thuy, who have just returned from Korea, Duc Giang Chemicals' playing style is still disjointed and lacks cohesion between positions. The disagreement between the setter and the attackers made the defending runner-up confused in deploying the playing style.
Meanwhile, LPB Ninh Binh owns two hitters with very high scoring efficiency, Bich Tuyen and foreign player Paskova. Both hit the ball powerfully, taking turns scoring points to bring the Ancient Capital team a 3-0 victory over Duc Giang Chemicals.
In the men's event, the Da Nang men's team created a surprise against Border Guard in the match on the evening of March 24. Many predictions say that this will be an easy match for coach Tran Dinh Tien and his team of the Border Guard. However, the actual developments on the field were contrary to all predictions.
The reigning champions Bien Phong were the ones who were behind and had to chase the score. Playing with a relaxed mentality and although being rated lower, Da Nang's hitters such as Le Ngoc Tri, Le Cong Tuan Huy, Ho Huu Tien and Kittithad Nuwaddee played enthusiastically. The Han River team deployed a diverse playing style with many attack points, thereby winning the first 2 sets.
It was not until set 3 that the Border Guard players regained their spirit. After coach Tran Dinh Tien adjusted the player Tran Minh Duc to replace foreign player Jakkrit Thanomnoi, setter Van Duy focused the ball to the opposite position of Van Hiep, the army team took advantage of the opportunity. They equalized the score 2-2 and won set 5, thereby dramatically defeating Da Nang with a score of 3-2 in a scenario that few people thought of.
It can be seen that with the arrival of quality foreign players, the 2025 National Volleyball Championship is becoming more attractive in the first matches. The unpredictable developments and results have caused each match to receive the attention of fans.
In the context that the best attacking players will always be present on the field, the setter position plays a very important role. According to experts, when clubs all have quality foreign players, the team with a skillful setter and good thinking will win more.
