Vietnam team lost to African women's volleyball champion

(NLDO) – Having lost 0-4 to the Vietnamese team in a friendly match before the tournament, Kenya quickly learned from their experience to beat Vietnam 3-0 in the world arena.

After defeats to Poland and Germany, hopes of a world title against Kenya have been dashed for Vietnam. The 2024 African champions, who are two places behind Vietnam in the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) rankings, accepted defeat in a friendly match in Hanoi just over a week ago in preparation for a spectacular victory.

Oluoch Adhiambo (11) spreads terror to the Vietnamese team's defense

Vietnam team "shocked" by Kenya

Many warnings were given to coach Nguyen Tuan Kiet and his team before the reunion with Kenya in Thailand. The African team played better and better as they went deeper into the tournament, including "stealing" a win from Poland, similar to Vietnam. However, the highlight of Kenya's playing style was the formidable strength of the attack led by Oluoch Adhiambo.

Many of Vietnam's points were lost by Kenya themselves.

In all three games, it was easy to see that the Vietnamese players were really afraid of the hammer-like attacks of Oluoch Adhiambo, Meldinah Sande, Belinda Barasa... Not only that, Kenya's effective blocking line also repeatedly (with 21 successful blocks in the whole match) discouraged the smashes of Thanh Thuy, Nhu Quynh or Kieu Trinh. Although the Vietnamese team constantly changed tactics and personnel, they could not turn the situation around.

Nhu Quynh entered the field at the end of the first half but still scored the most points on the Vietnamese team.

Even a seasoned striker like Thanh Thuy was almost at a standstill against a very strong opponent with many defensive strategies. The strength of the Vietnamese team is their strong fighting spirit, always trying to pursue fiercely despite being disadvantaged in many aspects, but that is not enough.

In the end, the Vietnamese women's volleyball team said goodbye to the tournament with a 0-3 loss (23-25, 22-25, 18-25) to Kenya, also the third defeat in this world tournament.

Vietnam team sadness

Losing all 3 matches and leaving the 2025 Women's Volleyball World Championship empty-handed is probably the biggest sadness for Vietnamese women's volleyball, even though this journey has brought many valuable experiences. History cannot call the name of Vietnamese volleyball when the team under coach Nguyen Tuan Kiet collapsed after 3 matches against Kenya, an opponent two places below them in the FIVB rankings and will surpass them after this victory.

Kenya won very convincingly

Leaving the tournament with three consecutive losses, the Vietnamese team could not have the farewell they expected. Their scores and world rankings dropped, but surely, what the team experienced was valuable baggage. For the first time participating in the world arena, Vietnamese athletes clearly felt the harshness of top-level volleyball, from speed, strength to tactical operations.

The unpleasant farewell of the Vietnam team

Failure at the world championship is not the end. Vietnamese volleyball has not been able to break into the top group in the world, but we can still nurture the aspiration to rise high in Asia - where we have been affirming our position. SEA Games, ASIAD or Asian Cup will continue to be realistic goals for Vietnamese players to aim for.

Source: https://nld.com.vn/tuyen-viet-nam-bai-tran-truoc-nha-vo-dich-bong-chuyen-nu-chau-phi-196250827191800976.htm