Tight Thai defense could be key to stopping Egonu-led Italy

The old mantra that good defense trumps good offense holds true in every sport, but when you face a hot-hitting team like Italy, it will take a near perfect performance to come away with a victory.

Thailand need to prove as much in their Volleyball Olympic Qualifying Tournament match against the 2022 VNL champions in Lodz, Poland. Their encounter will be on September 19 at 14:30 (12:30 UTC).

Italy have made six-straight appearance at the Olympic Games, while Thailand have yet to make their first Olympic appearance. Both squads will be vying for one of the two spots available in Pool B, along with Olympic champions USA, VNL rivals Poland, Germany and Korea, and Colombia and Slovenia.

In 2022, both these teams made a breakthrough at the Volleyball Nations League, as Italy became the second team to win the title with Paola Egonu leading the team that earned her an MVP trophy, while Thailand made it to the Finals for the first time in history. These two sides met again this year, with Italy winning the match in tiebreak without their superstar.

Egonu’s presence at the Paris Qualifier will certainly make a difference for the European side. And with new emerging stars like Sylvia Nwakalor and Loveth Omoruyi contributing well on offense when they are on the court, Italy will be a strong threat to all teams in their group.

There is also no doubt that Thailand as they can post huge upsets on the top teams and could dominate any matchups with their defense. Thatdao Nuekjang and Hattaya Bamrungsuk’s support at the net and captain Piyanut Pannoy’s floor defense will matter, while the rest of the crew need to hustle on defense like they always do.

Watch all the matches of Volleyball Olympic Qualifying Tournament on VBTV starting September 16.

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Volleyball Olympic Qualifying Tournament
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