Thailand on alert after loss to the Dominican Republic

Reigning Asian champions Thailand continue to be threatened by relegation in the Volleyball Nations League 2025 after dropping their third-straight match in the third week of the tournament’s Preliminary Phase on Friday in Arlington.

The Thais, who are now winless in their last seven VNL matches, were able to challenge the Dominican Republic on some moments, but couldn’t handle the firepower of the Caribbeans and went down 3-0 (25-21, 25-18, 25-23) at the College Park Center.

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Despite their difficult run of form, Thailand continue to avoid the bottom of the VNL standings, ranking 17^th with one win and five points. They have a single-point lead over Korea, which appear in 18^th place and would be relegated if the Preliminary Phase ended now, but their Asian rivals are still set to play Bulgaria and France over the weekend in Chiba, while the Thais have only one match left in Arlington, against Canada, on Sunday.

The first victory in three matches in Arlington made the Dominicans go up from 13^th to tenth in the VNL standings, but, with five wins and 13 points, they are already out of the race to qualify for the Finals as, with just one more match to play, they can no longer catch eighth-placed the United States, which have six victories and 17 points.

Team captain and outside hitter Brayelin Martinez led the Dominican victory, producing a match-high 17 points, with 13 kills and four blocks. Her younger sister and middle blocker Jineiry and opposite Gaila Gonzalez added 15 points each.

“We have the World Championship coming soon, and we’re trying to prepare for it,” Gaila reacted. “We’re trying to get better every match so we can get there in good shape. We have some new players in the team this season and we’re enjoying it a lot.”

On the Thai side, team captain and outside hitter Ajcharaporn Kongyot was the only one to get to double digits in scoring, registering 13 points (11 kills, one block, one ace). Middle blocker Thatdao Nuekjang and opposite Pimpichaya Kokram produced nine points apiece.

“We haven’t played so well in the VNL so far this year,” Pornpun Guedpard said. “I don’t think we’ve been as competitive as we were in past seasons, but we have many young players, and it’s been good for them to be here and get some experience. We’re looking to win our last match. We only got one victory so far, but we’re confident we can get another one.”

China and Canada will meet in the second match of the day in Arlington, which is scheduled to start at 19:30 local time (00:30 GMT, Saturday).

Volleyball Nations League 2025: full schedule and results

On Saturday, Germany and the United States, which both had the day off on Friday, will return to action, with the Europeans facing China at 16:00 local time (21:00 GMT) and the home team playing against regional rivals Canada at 19:30 (00:30 GMT, Sunday).

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