Vietnam Volleyball: 'Necessity is the mother of invention'

At least up until now, the coaching staff and athletes of the Vietnam U21 women's volleyball team are showing their flexible handling skills.

The Vietnam U21 women's volleyball team (right) is managing well in difficult circumstances - Photo: VOLLEYBALL WORLD

They entered the qualifying round from 17 to 24 with the mindset of being... eliminated from the round of 16. On top of that, one of them was banned from competing for the rest of the tournament.

Dropping one player may not sound like a big deal. But it is a real problem because the 2025 Women's U21 Volleyball World Championship only allows each team to register a maximum of 12 players. This number is quite small because some other tournaments allow 14, 15, or even nearly 20 players.

Initially, coach Nguyen Trong Linh chose 4 main attackers, 1 opposite player, 3 middle attackers, 2 setters and 2 liberos. With such a tight roster, losing any player could cause a "hole" in the squad. The consequence of this is a rapid decline in physical strength. However, in the two most recent matches against Puerto Rico and Egypt, the U21 Vietnam team still won, even winning with a score of 3-1. How can the young Vietnamese female players do that?

The first reason is certainly the mental factor. In the face of countless difficulties, the young Vietnamese girls still showed their resilience in competing. Although they were exhausted at times, they never surrendered to their opponents.

The next bright spot lies in the uniformity of the attacking positions. In the last two matches, the young striker born in 2009, Bui Thi Anh Thao, unexpectedly emerged to become the team's number 1 scorer, despite previously playing a reserve role. Against Puerto Rico, she scored 18 points and then increased her tally to 21 points against Egypt.

The positions of opposite setter Ngo Thi Bich Hue and middle blocker Le Thuy Linh continued to maintain stable performance from the beginning of the tournament. In addition, main attacker Pham Quynh Huong, although assigned the task of first-step defense, also knows how to score when necessary. It can be seen that coach Nguyen Trong Linh owns a balanced lineup in the attacking positions. In addition, setter Khanh Huyen is also playing sublimely to "load ammunition" for teammates to shoot.

And the last factor is the playing style. Coach Nguyen Trong Linh has arranged the game reasonably so that he does not have to focus too much on scoring for any individual. This reduces the pressure on the players and makes it harder for the opponent to predict. The U21 Vietnam defenders also made their mark, with the ability to read situations quickly and accurately.

Against opponents of equal strength in the 17th to 24th qualifying round, the current strategy can be effective at the right time. Their next opponent is U21 Chile, a team with many unknowns. The match will take place at 7pm on August 15. If they overcome this team, Vietnam's chance of finishing 17th is quite bright. The result is not yet known, but it can be seen that U21 Vietnam has managed quite well. It is true that "necessity is the mother of invention".

DUC KHUE

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/bong-chuyen-viet-nam-trong-cai-kho-lo-cai-khon-20250815101229139.htm