Thailand blew a two-set advantage as they lost to world champions Serbia at the Volleyball Nations League 2023 in Brasilia, Brazil, Saturday morning (Thai time).
Serbia, who played a five-set match for the second time in two days, rallied to win the match 24-26, 22-25, 25-17, 25-12, 16-14 at the Nilson Nelson Stadium.
It was Thailand's third successive Pool 4 defeat during the second week of the FIVB tournament.
Thailand will play Croatia in their final pool match tonight. Channel 7 will broadcast the match live starting at midnight.
Thailand counted on 21 points (18 kills, one ace, two blocks) from outside hitter Chatchu-On Moksri and 20 (all in kills) from opposite Pimpichaya Kokram during the match.
Despite the tight score, Serbia were more effective than the Thais in every aspect, getting more points from kills (75 to 60), blocks (13 to 12), aces (three to two) and opponent errors (21 to 20).
Apart from being down 2-0 in sets, the Serbians also saw themselves trailing 14-11 in the tie-breaker before they scored five points in a row to win the match.
Opposite and team captain Ana Bjelica, who tallied 18 points (16 kills, two blocks), and outside hitter Bianka Busa, who added another 15 (13 kills, one ace, one block), played important roles in the Serbian comeback.
The VNL 2023 preliminary phase features three weeks of competition, with each of the 16 teams playing 12 matches.
The top eight teams after the preliminary round qualify for the final phase, which will be held in Arlington, Texas, in the US from July 12-16. The Americans are already guaranteed a spot.
Bangkok will be a venue in the third week from June 27-July 2 when Thailand meet the Netherlands, Turkey, Japan and Brazil in Pool 6.