Thailand's Women's Volleyball Team Sweeps SEA V Cup Opening Leg, Heads Home to Chiang Mai

Thailand's senior women's national volleyball team opened its 2026 SEA V Cup campaign by sweeping all three matches of the opening leg in Hanoi, Vietnam, from July 31 to August 2 — and has now moved home to Chiang Mai for the second leg, Aug 7-9, starting with today's match against the Philippines this afternoon (Aug 7) at the 700th Anniversary Chiangmai Sports Complex.

A clean sweep in Hanoi

The Thai squad opened with a win over Indonesia on July 31, then edged the Philippines in a tense five-setter 3-2 (25-17, 19-25, 25-15, 18-25, 15-10) on August 1 — extending the Philippines' winless run against Thailand to more than three decades, dating back to 1993. They closed the opening leg with a straight-sets win over host nation Vietnam, 25-18, 25-17, 25-14, at Dong Anh Gymnasium on August 2.

The results put Thailand top of the table with a perfect 3-0 record, ahead of Vietnam in second, Indonesia in third and the Philippines in fourth. On the individual awards, Sasipapron Janthawisut was named Most Valuable Player of the opening leg, while Natthanicha Jaisaen took home the Best Setter award.

Blending young talent with veterans, eyes on the Asian Championship

Illustrative photo: a volleyball match at a Thai gymnasium — Photo: Marder — CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons)

What makes this Thai squad notable isn't only the unbeaten run — it's the coaching staff's deliberate mix of youth and experience. Young players including 17-year-old Thai-Ghanaian setter Serah Ankomah and 21-year-old Nannaphat Moonjakham have been given court time alongside familiar veterans such as captain Pornpun Gerdpard, Ajcharaporn Kongyot, Sasipapron Janthawisut, Chatchu-on Moksri and Pimpichaya Kokram.

Head coach Kiattipong Ratchatakriengkrai, speaking ahead of the second leg's opening match against the Philippines, said winning the tournament was "a promise the athletes made to themselves," and confirmed he planned to field veteran Chatchu-on Moksri in the match specifically to help sharpen the team ahead of the Asian Championship. Training in the build-up has focused heavily on defending against fast, quick-attack offenses. Chatchu-on herself only recently recovered from injury in time to take the court for the Chiang Mai leg — timing the coaching staff will be glad of, given what's coming next.

Southeast Asia's reigning volleyball queens

The unbeaten run in Hanoi is no fluke — it reflects a regional dominance Thailand's women have held for decades. Just last December, Thailand beat Vietnam 3-2 to claim a record-extending 17th SEA Games gold medal, marking their 15th consecutive title defense dating all the way back to the first Chiang Mai Games in 1995. That makes them the most successful nation since women's volleyball entered the SEA Games program in 1977.

The volleyball team's form also tracks with a broader run of good results for Thai sport lately — from a 5-0 rout of Laos in the ASEAN Cup to Thai success at the Malaysia Open badminton — underscoring that Thailand remains one of the region's strongest sporting nations across several disciplines at once.

Thailand's pedigree extends well beyond the region, too. The team are the reigning Asian champions, having won the continental title in 2023, and have claimed it three times overall (2009, 2013, 2023) — third all-time on the continent behind only China (13 titles) and Japan (5). That the coaching staff is willing to give players as young as 17 international minutes at the SEA V Cup, while still holding onto that regional and continental standing, signals a longer-term plan to build squad depth rather than optimizing purely for one tournament's result.

This season's tournament carries the full name BYD DMI 6th SEA V Cup 2026, continuing the SEA V.League format that ran from 2023 to 2025 under the Southeast Asian Volleyball Association. Four nations — Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia and the Philippines — play a full round robin split across two legs, broadcast on ONE31, GMM25 and the oneD app.

Chiang Mai leg, then on to the Asian Championship in China

Ajcharaporn Kongyot, one of the veteran players on this Thai squad — Photo: B20180 — CC BY-SA 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons)

The second leg is being played at the 700th Anniversary Chiangmai Sports Complex from August 7 to 9. Thailand takes on the Philippines at 4:30pm today (August 7), followed by Indonesia tomorrow (August 8) and a rematch with Vietnam to close out the tournament on August 9. As of this writing, today's match against the Philippines is still in progress. Local interest has been strong: online tickets went on sale August 3 through a ticketing app, with an in-person sale following on August 6 at the 80th Anniversary Hall, and provincial officials have talked up the tournament as a showcase for Chiang Mai's hosting capacity and a boost for local hotels and restaurants.

Results from this Chiang Mai leg will feed directly into squad selection for the Asian Women's Volleyball Championship, which runs in Tianjin, China, from August 21 to 30 — just days after the SEA V Cup wraps up. The stakes there are real: the champion earns a path toward qualification for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, and the top three finishers qualify for the 2027 World Championship. That gives every match in Chiang Mai weight beyond the SEA V Cup title itself — a proving ground for the team's rising talent, and a final readiness check for the senior squad just days before a bigger continental assignment.

Key facts

• Tournament: BYD DMI 6th SEA V Cup 2026 (4 nations: Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, Philippines)
• Leg 1: Hanoi, Vietnam, Jul 31-Aug 2, 2026 — Thailand won all 3 matches
• Leg 2: Chiang Mai, Thailand, Aug 7-9, 2026 — vs Philippines (Aug 7), Indonesia (Aug 8), Vietnam (Aug 9)
• Leg 1 awards: MVP Sasipapron Janthawisut, Best Setter Natthanicha Jaisaen
• SEA Games record: 17th gold (Dec 2025), 15 consecutive title defenses since 1995
• Up next: Asian Championship in Tianjin, China, Aug 21-30, 2026 — Thailand are reigning (2023) and 3-time champions
• Goal: test young talent alongside veterans ahead of Asian Championship squad selection