Press release

Thailand and China top their pools after preliminaries in WGP qualification tournament

Thailand seem likely to take one of the two spots up for grabs in the 2013 World Grand Prix

Almaty, Kazakhstan, September 13, 2012 – Thailand and China kept unblemished win-loss records to top their respective pools after the preliminary round of the 3rd AVC Cup for Women held at the Baluan Sholak Sport and Culture Palace in Almaty.

Two teams will qualify for the 2013 World Grand Prix through this tournament, filling the final vacancies available to teams from the AVC region. China and Japan are already qualified, so the top two finishers besides those two will secure their right to participate next year.

China clearly dominated their final match against Iran September 12, winning in straight sets (25-16, 25-10, 25-10). China’s focus was at their absolute best as the six players on court played solidly through to the final whistle.

Chinese setter Mi Yang allowed all her teammates to get involved in the offense. As their main players Wei Qiuyue and Wang Yimei watched from the side-lines - their coach wanted to rest them - the younger players took control of the match.

Meanwhile, Southeast Asian powerhouse Thailand saw off Kazakhstan 3-1 (23-25, 25-22, 25-23, 25-21). The hosts started off strongly and secured victory in the tight first set, but Thailand took the momentum in the succeeding sets and cruised to victory.

Onuma Sittirak was unstoppable, scoring 26 points – 25 points coming from strong spikes. Onuma’s spiking proficiency dislodged the Kazakh defence, although the Kazakhs’ blocking was tremendous in recording 14 points.

Nootsara Tomkom’s crafty setting skills allowed her teammates to run a balanced offense, which carried them on in the most critical moments of each set.

Match Schedule - Quarterfinals
Thailand v Chinese Taipei
China v TPE
Kazakhstan v Japan
Vietnam v Korea

So far, 11 teams have qualified to the 2013 World Grand Prix.

Continent	Number of Vacancies	Determined By	Teams Qualified
Africa	1	To Be Confirmed
Asia	2	AVC Cup, Kazakhstan, September 10 to 16, 2012
	2	Automatically Qualified	Japan, China
Europe	4	European League, plus an additional process T.B.C.	Czech Republic, Bulgaria
	1	Automatically Qualified	Poland
NORCECA	4	Pan American Cup	USA, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico
South America	2	Pan American Cup	Brazil, Argentina

Download highresolution

Language(s)

English

| More

More press releases


19.05.2013 11:43:01 Fe Garay steps up for Brazil in new Olympic cycle Saquarema, Brazil, May 19, 2013 – The day August 11, 2012 will forever be marked in the minds of every Brazilian volleyball fan when Fernanda Rodrigue... More...
18.05.2013 02:21:07 Opening day wraps up at China International Ningbo, China, May 17, 2013 – Opening day of the China Women's International Tournament resulted in resilient successes for some teams, while others l... More...
17.05.2013 08:18:25 Kiattipong values practice at China International Ningbo, China, May 17, 2013 – Last year’s surprise World Grand Prix Finalists Thailand are looking forward to using this week’s China International Wo... More...
17.05.2013 03:17:56 Japan women’s team aims to take season a notch higher Tokyo, Japan, May 17, 2013 – The Japan women’s national team have started their preparation for the 2013 season towards big competitions such as the F... More...
16.05.2013 17:56:04 Dominican Republic women’s team visits FIVB in Lausanne Lausanne, Switzerland, May 16, 2013 – The Dominican Republic women’s volleyball team paid a courtesy visit to the International Volleyball Federation ... More...
10.05.2013 10:59:21 Virna predicts another great year for Olympic champs Brazil Lausanne, Switzerland, April 18, 2013 - The year 2012 was a particularly excellent one for the Brazilian national women’s team, as they took home gold... More...
03.05.2013 17:19:40 New Chinese women’s national team starts training Beijng, China, May 3, 2013 – The new Chinese women's national team gathered in Beijing on Thursday to start their preparations in the upcoming season,... More...
24.04.2013 13:31:53 Piotr Makowski appointed coach of Poland's national women's team Lausanne, Switzerland, April 24, 2013 - Piotr Makowski has been appointed head coach of Poland’s national women’s team. Makowski, 45, was assistant co... More...
16.04.2013 15:04:39 Argentine women begin training for FIVB World Grand Prix Buenos Aires, Argentina, April 15, 2013 - The Argentine national seniors' womens’ team have begun preparations for a very demanding 2013 season with c... More...
15.04.2013 08:06:15 Women’s volleyball looking forward to bumper year – Sykora Lausanne, Switzerland, April 15, 2013 - With a new and exciting volleyball season approaching, a legend of women's volleyball Stacy Sykora kindly give... More...