Volleyroos in Thailand for Asian Champs

National Teams

29/08/2023

Volleyroos in Thailand for Asian Champs

The 22nd Asian Senior Women’s Volleyball Championship starts tomorrow in Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand, with the Australian Volleyroos set to take on the best teams in the region.

They enter the tournament on the back of a fifth place finish last week at the VTV Cup in Vietnam which has prepared the team for the day-to-day tournament schedule.

“The Asian Championship is one of the most important events on the women’s Volleyroos calendar,” said acting head coach and team manager, Nicole Hannan.

“The team are feeling good coming in fresh off a win in the VTV Cup tournament in Vietnam last week.

“Asia is a very strong region and we anticipate that every match will be challenging.”

The Volleyroos open their campaign with pool matches against Thailand and Mongolia before a day off on Friday ahead of the classification round.

Charlotte White will make her Volleyroos debut at the tournament, with Hannan saying the team would lean on their experienced players to lead a squad which signals an eye to the future.

“Only three of the current players – Mikaela Stevens our captain, Tara Maland and Beth Carey – have competed at Senior Indoor Volleyball Asian Championships before,” said Hannan.

“We are extremely lucky to have the experience and presence of former captain Beth Carey, who debuted in 2009 and has returned to the Volleyroos after a three-year hiatus.”

Volleyroos captain Mikaela Stevens said she can feel the squad developing following a number of tournaments this year and is learning from every opportunity to take on the best nations in the region.

“The team is really looking forward to showing the improvements we have made this international season against some of the top teams in Asia, which also happen to be some of the top teams in the world right now,” said Stevens.

“We had a heavy pre-tournament competition at VTV Cup where we were challenged both physically and mentally against some solid competition.

“Whilst not every game was perfect, the team has really progressed and started to gel and really show that when we are playing our best volleyball we can compete with any team.

“We are proud of our improvements as a squad and the depth that our squad has developed over the last couple of international seasons.

“We have been working to develop a strong culture that allows us to play as a team and for the team, as we are one. We are excited to show the volleyball community what our brand of volleyball is and hopefully come out with some awesome results and team improvement,” she said.

A top two-finish in Australia’s three-team pool will earn a place in the top eight, while a third place finish will move the Volleyroos into the 9th-14th classification round.