Australia managed to fend off India's rally to nab solo second in Pool A of the 2024 AVC Challenge Cup at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum on Saturday, May 25.
Australia moved one step closer to advancing to the knockout crossover semifinals of the 2024 AVC Challenge Cup for Women after defeating India in four sets, 26-24, 25-16, 19-25, and 29-27, at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum in Manila on Saturday, May 25.
After faltering in the third set, Australia looked poised to finally secure the win in the fourth. However, India showed its relentlessness as it managed to force an extended set.
The Volleyroos were on the brink of victory on five occasions, but the Indians, refusing to be outdone, found a way to level the score each time, much to the delight of the Filipino crowd.
However, the moment of triumph came for Australia when Ella Schabort's off-the-block kill set the score at 28-27. India's setter Jini Kovat Shaji's failed connection to middle blocker Shilpa Rajendran Nair Sindhu resulted in an error, sealing Australia's victory and sparking jubilation among the team.
Sitting with a 2-1 record, Australia is now second in Pool A, just behind the Philippines at 2-0 at press time.
Caitlin Tipping led the way for the Volleyroos with 27 points on 19 attacks, four blocks, and four service aces. Schabort and Emma Burton added 16 points apiece in the win.
"It’s super important for us since it’s a must win for us. I think we just kind of dropped the ball in the third set," said Tipping.
"I think we just trusted each other that we were doing our job and managed to have the ball. We knew that we would get the job done at the end of the game," she added.
Anusree Kambrath Poyilil paced India with 14 points, while Radhakrishnan Anagha and Soorya Soorya both had 13 markers.
In the day's first game, Hong Kong dominated the injury-riddled Singapore for a quick straight-sets victory, 25-14, 25-12, 25-12.
Singapore, which was without team captain Rachel Lau and outside hitter Wen Qi Fu due to injuries, could not match Hong Kong's aggressiveness on the court.
Lam Shum finished with a game-high 17 points in the victory, while Wing Lam Chum added 15 markers.
The win put Hong Kong at 2-1 record, momentarily taking solo second in Pool B. Only the top two teams from each group will advance to the knockout crossover semifinals.
"Actually, at the beginning of the game, we were so nervous, but our coach [Kin Chuen Kwok] told us not to be. We played our normal skills the entire game so we can win this," said Chim.
No Singaporean finished in double-digit scoring, with Ethel Siow Yi Yin leading the way with just nine points. Singapore remains winless in the tournament.
Singapore ended pool play at 0-4, and they will face the bottom team in Pool A in the battle for the ninth match.
As for the second game, Kazakhstan put itself in a good position to advance to the semifinals after sweeping Indonesia, 25-17, 25-13, 25-22.
After dominant outings in the first and second sets, the Kazakhs were challenged by the young Indonesian squad led by 17-year-old Junaida Santi.
But in the end, Zhanna Syroyeshkina proved to be too much as she put away Indonesia with her 23 points with an impressive 19-of-25 success rate in attacks and adding four service aces.
Kazakhstan's team captain, Sana Anarkulova, also added nine points.
On the other hand, Santi, who received enthusiastic cheers from the Filipino crowd for her powerful play, led the fight for Indonesia, scoring a team-high nine points.
Putri Agustin and Sabrina Agustina contributed eight and seven points, respectively.
Indonesia will look to pull off the upset against the defending champions, Vietnam, tomorrow at 10:00 a.m.
On the other hand, Kazakhstan and Hong Kong will battle it out for the last semifinal slot in Pool B tomorrow at 1 p.m.