The first round of the 2017 National Volleyball Championship PV GAS has passed halfway and saw a strong competition among teams, resulting in a lot of surprises and excitement.
The first round of the 2017 National Volleyball Championship PV GAS has passed halfway and saw a strong competition among teams, resulting in a lot of surprises and excitement.
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The most surprise at the first round of this year’s tournament has been the defeat of the reigning national champion The Cong by the Fourth Corps in the opening match of Group A, taking place on March 26. Last season, The Cong proved themselves with their collective offensive strategy. The Cong’s effective and versatile way of playing which did not depend completely on any athlete earned them the final victory over the host Sanest Khanh Hoa which owned the strongest outside hitters at that time.
However, the tactic of The Cong seemed to be ineffective at the 2017 championship although they taking part in this year’s season with the same formation and style of playing. After the first loss to the Fourth Corps, the players of The Cong had a hard match against Long An and only edged out the opponent 3-2. With their present scores, it is possible that The Cong cannot qualify for Hung Vuong Cup 2017, especially when their opponents in Group A have gained relatively good results.
Meanwhile, in Group B, two strong teams, Xo so kien thiet Vinh Long and the 2015 champion Maseco Ho Chi Minh City, had a bad start at the 2017 season. Maseco Ho Chi Minh City was beaten 1-3 by Military Zone 4 and then 0-3 by Trang An Ninh Binh. Xo so kien thiet Vinh Long lost to Ha Tinh and Sanest Khanh Hoa with the same score 0-3. The poor performances of these two teams could be because of the leaving of the key players. With no points after two games, Maseco Ho Chi Minh City and Xo so kien thiet Vinh Long are no longer competitive for the top positions in Group B.
Until present, only Sanest Khanh Hoa and the Fourth Corps have showed stable manner. The Hung Vuong holder Sanest Khanh Hoa is temporarily top Group B with five points. The Fourth Corps with the join of the present number 1 middle blocker of Vietnam, Hoang Thuong, has had two consecutive wins and is expected to keep playing well.
With the recent performances of the teams of both groups, the remaining matches at the first round of the 2017 National Volleyball Championship PV GAS promise to bring spectators many other surprises and interests.
An Nhien
Translated by H.N
