Czechia put on a block party against Vietnam for a masterful win in the FIVB Women's Challenger Cup.
Height is might as the Czechia showcased their masterful blocking in overwhelming Vietnam, 25-19, 25-14, and 25-19 in the other semifinal match of the FIVB Women's Challenger Cup at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium on Saturday, July 6.
The world no. 16 Czechs imposed their might against the world no. 34 Vietnamese all-game long, recording 13 blocks while also limiting star spiker Thi Bich Tuyen Nguyen to just 12 points, a far cry after her 30-point explosion against Alas Pilipinas in the quarterfinals.
Czech Republic will now take on world no. 13 Puerto Rico ––who stunned top seed Belgium earlier– in the title match. The winner will earn a spot in next year’s Volleyball Nations League.
Furthermore, the reigning European Golden League silver medalists are back in the Finals of the Challenger Cup for the first time since 2019, when they lost against Canada.
Gabriela Orvosova showed her dominance with 17 points, built on 14 attacks, two aces, and one block, while Helena Havelkova added 13 markers.
Czechia made up for their 18 errors with a 46-31 attack point advantage and registered more aces against Vietnam, 4-1.
Vietnam kept it close in the third set but Czechia pulled away late for a dominating win against the 2023 AVC Women’s Challenge Cup champions.
The Czechs picked up where they left off in the second set, racing to a 10-4 advantage and led by as many as 12 points for a commanding 2-0 set lead.
Czechia banked on their pin-point attacking and towering blocking for an early 15-10 lead in the first, building enough cushion to offset a late rally from Vietnam.
Team captain Thi Thanh Truy Tan, or T4, finished with nine points for Vietnam. She was coming off a two-point performance vs. Alas, her first game back from the national team after dealing with a knee injury.