Viet Nam defeated New Zealand in straight sets at the Taipei University Gymnasium on the first day of the 17th Asian Women's U19 Volleyball Championship yesterday.

The Vietnamese team maintained a comfortable lead throughout the first set and won 25-12.

But it was not smooth sailing for Viet Nam in the second set, even though they established an early 6-1 lead by winning six consecutive points with strong spikes. New Zealand created some trouble for Viet Nam in the middle and at the end of the set. But Viet Nam managed to stay in control, returned with impenetrable blocks and won 25-20.

Viet Nam clinched the third set 25-19 and claimed their first victory in Pool B.

Vietnamese player Doan Thi Xuan, who contributed 12 points, was among the top two scorers of the match.

Viet Nam will now face a strong Chinese team, while New Zealand will play Kazakhstan today.

The championship began with Japan defeating Hong Kong 25-8, 25-6, 25-11 in Group C in the first match.

The event, which will end on July 24, sees 15 teams fight for the top honours and also three tickets to compete in next year's FIVB Women's U20 World Championships.

The participants have been divided into four pools, with a single round – robin system in the preliminary round. The top two teams from each pool will advance to the quarter-finals, while the lower-ranked sides will compete for the ninth to 15th spots.

VNS/VNN