Vietnam squad outlasts Foton in Asian volley

MANILA, Philippines – Foton Pilipinas blew a 2-1 set lead and crumbled in a pressure-packed decider, enabling Thongtin Lienvietpost Bank of Vietnam to post a 25-18, 19-25, 20-25, 25-12, 15-8 victory yesterday in the AVC Asian Women’s Club Championship at the Alonte Sports Arena in Biñan, Laguna.

The Tornadoes, who dominated the Hong Kong side in Saturday’s opener, took charge after three sets sans import Lindsay Stalzer, out with back spasms. But the Vietnamese struck back with an emphatic show in the fourth then sustained their charge in the fifth to turn back the hosts to the disappointment of the big crowd.

Foton Pilipinas head coach Fabio Menta opted to give Stalzer, the MVP of the recent PSL Grand Prix, a rest for the all-important quarterfinal battle against either Altay VC of Kazakhstan or NEC Red Rockets of Japan.

Fellow import Ariel Usher, Jovelyn Gonzaga and Jaja Santiago took the cudgels for Foton in the second and third sets but the hosts lost steam in the fourth and completely crumbled in the decider with poor floor defense and miscues.

Usher delivered 15 kills, had three aces and two blocks for 20 points while Gonzaga had 13 kills and three blocks for 16 points. Santiago had 13 hits after a sluggish start that saw Menta trying out combinations in the opening set.

“I take responsibility in the loss in the first set. I experimented a little and we paid a heavy price for it,” said Menta, who moved Gonzaga to the open spiker position and Usher and Maika Ortiz to the opposite position to somehow obstruct the attacks of the Vietnamese.

“We got soft in the fourth set. Vietnam was the more disciplined team (in the fourth set). Down 2-1, they only had one choice, which is to play hard. We knew they were coming back hard. We gave them a chance and we slowly collapsed.”

With the Tornadoes one set away from pulling off an upset, the Vietnamese tightened up their defense while skipper Minh Do Thi uncorked powerful smashes from the open position.

Minh, the national team player who finished with 22 kills, five blocks and a pair of aces, took charge in the fourth as the Vietnamese surged ahead, 16-7, entering the second technical timeout.

It was all-Vietnam from there as its blocking and floor defense were too tight, too solid to penetrate.

“My team handled the pressure well,” said Vietnam coach Pham Van Long, whose wards tallied more blocks, 15-9, and more attacks, 58-53, than the home squad.

“We were down in the third set, but we didn’t give up. We played with a sense of urgency and we’re very tactical both on offense and on defense.”

Thao Tran Thi had 13 hits while Ly Linh Tran Ton Nu had 12 markers for the Vietnamese, who will square off with Kwai Tsing of Hong Kong Monday for a chance to grab the top spot in Pool A entering the quarterfinals.