Vietnam’s Sport Center 1 beat Iran’s Paykan 3-2 in their opener at the 2023 Asian Women’s Club Volleyball Championship, which kicked off in northern Vinh Phuc Province on Tuesday.

The win was largely attributed to the excellent performance of outside hitter and captain Tran Thi Thanh Thuy.

Sport Center 1, which mainly features members of the Vietnamese national women’s volleyball team, asserted intense pressure in the start but the very first points went to Paykan.

The two teams relentlessly chased after each other for every single point until the Vietnamese side claimed the first set by 25-22.

Paykan put the match back to the starting line after winning the second set by 25-21.

Each of the two teams took one in the third and fourth sets, thereby extending the match to a fifth set, in which Sport Center 1 staged a comeback to conclude at 15-10.

After the 3-2 victory, the Vietnamese representative is set to meet Japan’s Hisamitsu Springs in their second match on Thursday.

The 2023 Asian Women’s Club Volleyball Championship is the 23rd edition of the annual international women’s volleyball club tournament organized by the Asian Volleyball Confederation and the Volleyball Federation of Vietnam.

The nine participating teams -- Vietnam, Iran, Japan, Taiwan, Kazakhstan, Thailand, China, Mongolia, and Hong Kong -- compete in two groups in a round-robin format in Vinh Phuc Province from Tuesday to May 2. 

The winner of the tournament will qualify for the 2023 FIVB Volleyball Women’s Club World Championship, which is scheduled for China from December 11 to 17.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!