Thailand shine on day of epic proportions in Montreux

Montreux, Switzerland, June 2, 2016: Rank outsiders Thailand stole the show once more at the 2016 Montreux Volley Masters on Thursday, recovering from a two set deficit to stun the Netherlands and dramatically seal progression from Pool A. Defending-champions Turkey will have to wait to learn their fate after their own superb tiebreak victory over Brazil, whilst an earlier win for much fancied China over Belgium put them in pole position in Pool B.China’s Gong Xiangyu was the lynchpin in the day’s opening match, pulling the strings and scoring 19 points as they disposed of Belgium in straight sets (25-23, 25-20, 25-21). Despite a flattering score-line in competitive sets, it was nonetheless a deserved victory after a composed performance from the Olympic qualifiers in the midst of a fast and frantic encounter. With two wins from three in the group, the Chinese are in pole position to qualify for the semi-finals. Belgium’s fate remains in their own hands, but on a knife-edge as they must beat Brazil on Friday to have any hope of qualifying for the next round.Cue Turkey and Brazil, both teams desperately needing a win to keep their hopes of progression alive. A game of high stakes, the two teams served up an absolute …

continue reading in source www.fivb.org