Hosts Vietnam stormed past Sri Lanka in straight sets that lasted just over half an hour in Hanoi on Monday, putting them at the top of Group A in the 15th Asian Senior Women’s Volleyball Championship.

Against a weaker team and boosted by a large crowd of home fans, Vietnamese substitute players had no difficulty beating the visitors 25-13, 25-17, 25-21 at the Quan Ngua Sports Hall.

Vietnam took the upper hand early to lead 18-8 in the first set before winning it 25-13.

The home team remained on top in the second set to lead 18-11. The visitors fought hard and improved their attacks to move to 15-21. But powerful attacks from the Vietnamese women snatched the set 25-17.

In the third set, the Sri Lankans showed their determination by closing the margin to 19-19. Vietnam had to replace some subs with better players to beat the opponents 25-21 and win the match.

With straight-set wins against Australia and Iran on Saturday and Sunday, Vietnam tops Group A as expected, followed by Iran in second place. After losing to Iran 3-1 on Monday, Australia is in third place and Sri Lanka at the bottom.

In other matches, China crushed Hong Kong 3-0, while Thailand thumped Indonesia and Taiwan bruised Uzbekistan by the same margin.

Reported by H.Ha