Thais eye revenge in Dominican opener
Thailand will be out for revenge against the Dominican Republic when they meet in the Bangkok leg of the FIVB World Grand Prix tomorrow.
Pool H1 in the third and final week of the preliminary round will be held at Hua Mark Indoor Stadium.
In tomorrow’s other match in the same group, Italy take on Turkey.
The Dominicans defeated Thailand 3-1 in the first week in the Netherlands.
“We are ready for the Bangkok tournament,” said Thailand captain Pleumjit Thinkaow.
Thailand secured their first-ever win over Brazil in their 13 World Grand Prix meetings last week, which is also their first and only victory so far in the current campaign.
“The win has boosted our confidence,” said Pleumjit.
Pleumjit, who turns 34 in November, played a key role in the historic win, scoring 10 points.
She said coach Danai Sriwacharamaytakul was trying to find the Dominicans’ weak points.
“We hope to beat them this time,” said the popular star.
Following the defeat in the Netherlands, Danai said: “The Dominican Republic made the difference today with good blocking. On top of that, they were able to spike over our blocks. Still, we were able to win a set because our reception was very good.”
After tomorrow’s match, Thailand will meet Turkey on Saturday and face Italy on Sunday.
Italy will play for a ticket to the finals. The Europeans defeated Olympic champions China and world champions USA last week, thanks in particular to Paola Egonu’s scoring exploits.
With 117 points to her name, she is the top hitter after six matches.
“Our success last week has significantly improved our chances of qualifying for the finals. Now we want to take the last step,” said Italy coach Davide Mazzanti said.
The top-five sides in the 12-team preliminary round join hosts China in the finals in Nanjing next month.
Thailand are currently 10th, two places behind the Dominican Republic.
Italy are fourth and Turkey 11th with Serbia the overall leaders in the preliminary campaign.