Vietnam's U18 women's volleyball team advances to the semifinals of the Southeast Asian championship

(Volleyball results) - The Vietnamese U18 team triumphed over the Philippines U18 to firmly claim first place in Group B, thus qualifying for the semifinals of the 2026 Southeast Asian U18 Women's Volleyball Championship.

Set 1: Vietnam 25-17 Philippines

Vietnam U18 had a very favorable start as our blockers performed extremely effectively, while Ánh Thảo continued to impress on the attack. The Philippines U18 entered the match rather disjointedly, their attacking combinations lacked coordination, and the Filipino players also lacked impressive height, suffering many blocks from Vietnam U18.

The gap was later extended to double digits. The Philippines U18 played quite well in the final points to narrow the difference, but it was not enough. Mai Quỳnh secured the decisive point, helping Vietnam U18 open the match scoring.

Set 2: Vietnam 26-24 Philippines

Vietnam U18 continued with an extremely impressive start to the set, building a sizable lead. When entering the acceleration phase, Ánh Thảo and her teammates still maintained a gap of up to 5 points. However, what happened afterward truly made the fans' hearts skip a beat.

The Philippines U18 mounted a strong comeback, playing exceptionally well and stunning us. They tightly locked down Ánh Thảo, executed dangerous attacking combinations, and scored after impressive approach shots from their hitters. Taking a large lead only to have it erased at the closing points seems to be a familiar pattern in matches coached by Ngọc Hoa.

In fact, the Philippines U18 had the chance to take set point first, but Khánh Linh made a courageous spike off the block to save the day. Lê Thùy Linh then scored from position 3 to put Vietnam U18 ahead, and subsequently capitalized on an overhit shot by the opponent to seal a dramatic 26-24 victory in set 2, thus taking a 2-0 lead.

Set 3: Vietnam 31-29 Philippines

Another emotional set for the Vietnam U18 team. We continued to take the lead and gain an advantage over the Philippines U18, but as the set progressed toward the end, coach Ngọc Hoa and her players faced increasing difficulties and were dragged into a nerve-wracking overtime series with no apparent end.

After a series of exchanges of set points and match points, Vietnam U18 finally found a way out thanks to an opponent's mistake. The 31-29 scoreline gave Ánh Thảo and her teammates their second consecutive victory, securing top spot in Group B and officially qualifying for the semifinals of this year's U18 Southeast Asian championship.

Overall, Vietnam U18 defeated Philippines U18 3-0 (25-17; 26-24; 31-29).

What time did the Vietnam U18 women's volleyball match against the Philippines U18 take place?

• Time: 4:00 PM, today June 24
• Tournament: Group B 2026 Southeast Asian U18 Women's Volleyball Championship

List of Vietnam U18 players for the 2026 Southeast Asian U18 Women's Volleyball Championship

• Outside Hitters: Bùi Thị Ánh Thảo (Hà Nội Tasco Auto - captain), Nguyễn Mai Quỳnh (Thông tin-Đông Bắc), Bùi Thị Huyền (LPB Ninh Bình), Nguyễn Châm Anh (HCĐG Lào Cai)
• Opposite Hitters: Nguyễn Khánh Linh (IMP Bắc Ninh), Nguyễn Thị Yến Nhi (HCĐG Lào Cai)
• Middle Blockers: Lê Thùy Linh (Hà Nội Tasco Auto), Trịnh Huỳnh Bảo Ngọc (VTV Bình Điền Long An), Lê Thị Kim Thư (HCĐG Lào Cai), Vũ Mai Ngân (Quảng Ninh)
• Setters: Nguyễn Thị Huyền Trang (Thông tin-Đông Bắc), Đỗ Quế Trân (Hà Nội Tasco Auto)
• Liberos: Quách Thị Hoài Ân (XMLS Thanh Hóa), Lê Thị Hằng (Thông tin-Đông Bắc)