Hong Kong volleyball captain hails ‘unforgettable’ win over India at AVC Women’s Challenge Cup in Thailand
- Women’s volleyball team are just one game away from a historic AVC Cup win in Thailand
- Captain talks up ‘new start’ for women’s volleyball in Hong Kong after three years without competition
Hong Kong stunned India with a magnificent come-from-behind 3-2 win in Thailand on Tuesday to keep their hopes of an unprecedented AVC Women’s Challenge Cup title alive.
Hong Kong shrugged off their rust in the first two sets, but regrouped and hit back to win the remaining three sets 25-13, 25-19, 15-6. The 185cm Yeung Sau-mei, captain Chim Wing-lam and Pang Wing-lam were instrumental in the reset, with some powerful attacks and blocks handing them a 7-1 lead.
“The first two sets were really challenging,” Chim told the Post after the match.
“India had a strong outside attack and were good in defence. But we changed our position, focused on blocking India’s outside hitter and we started to control the game. Our serve in the third set was quite strong.”
Holding a 1-0 advantage after the opening round, India came into the second set with aggression and consistency to set a solid 21-15 lead, with Indian captain Nirmal Kaur Saini and outside hitter Anusree Kambrath Poyili taking turns to penetrate the Hong Kong defence with their exceptional attacks.
India moved ahead 23-17, allowing the Hong Kong head coach Kwok Kin Chuen to ask for a timeout to improve their game. The move proved to be a good one, and allowed the Hong Kong women to strike back with force. Leading by wide margin 23-12, Hong Kong allowed the Indians just one more point to wrap up the one-sided set 25-13.