Vietnam: Vietnam defeated Myanmar, 25-18, 25-23, 25-19, to reach the semifinals Friday in the SEA Men's V Cup Leg 1 at the Candon City Arena in Ilocos Sur. Nguyen Ngoc Thuan delivered 22 points on 17 attacks, four aces and a block, while Pham Quoc Du chipped in 13 points, all on attacks, as Vietnam bounced back from a four-set loss to Thailand.
According to Philippines News Agency, Kyaw Aung Myo was the only player who reached double-figure scores for Myanmar, delivering 13 points on 12 attacks and an ace. Thailand topped Group B with a 2-0 record, while Myanmar went 0-2 and will go to the classification match for fifth and sixth spots.
At stake in the zonal meet, presented by the Philippine Sports Commission, Philippine Olympic Committee and the City of Candon headed by Mayor Eric D. Singson, are all-important FIVB world ranking points. Vietnam, playing its first official FIVB-sanctioned tournament since tapping Italy's Federico Rampazzo just over a month ago, entered the SEA V Cup ranked 62nd.
Indonesia heads the field at 44th, buoyed by the title triumph at the Asian Volleyball Confederation Men's Cup just last month in Ahmedabad, India. In Pool A are Thailand, which started the event ranked 66th, Alas Pilipinas at 90th and Cambodia 117th.
