Despite the absence of their star striker, the Information Corps achieved a decisive victory against Long Son Thanh Hoa Cement.

The Information Corps put on a persuasive display as they triumphed over Long Son Thanh Hoa Cement 3-0 (25-13, 25-18, 25-17), securing their initial victory in the 2026 National Championship following two straight defeats.

The Information Corps clinched their first win of the season.

In the first set, Thanh Hoa started enthusiastically and quickly led 5-1. However, this advantage was swiftly erased as they repeatedly encountered issues with their first-step play, allowing the Information Corps to score points consecutively. After a period of stalemate, the military team accelerated strongly, widening the gap to 10 points. With stable second passes, solid blocking, and effective attacks, they comfortably closed the set with a score of 25-13.

Moving to the second set, the two teams created a more balanced contest early on, featuring many exciting rallies. Yet, the turning point came again when Thanh Hoa exposed weaknesses in their first-step reception and backline defense. The Information Corps fully capitalized on this to establish a lead of 6, then 8 points. Meanwhile, the Thanh region team relied too heavily on foreign player Cai Xiaoqing, while domestic players like Doan Thi Xuan saw a decline in form. Despite efforts to improve, they could not bridge the gap and lost 18-25.

Entering the third set, the match was entirely controlled by the Information Corps. Their troublesome serve strategy and appropriate lineup adjustments allowed them to continuously apply pressure, denying the opponent any chance to reverse the situation. Foreign player Sun Jie performed prominently alongside a stable lineup of domestic players, helping the military team close the set with a score of 25-17, thereby securing a convincing 3-0 victory.

This victory holds significant importance for the Information Corps in the race for the Hung Vuong Cup qualification, while also helping them relieve pressure after a series of unsatisfactory matches. Under the guidance of Coach Pham Van Long, the entire team demonstrated clear improvements in both tactics and competitive spirit.

Notably, the military team played courageously despite the absence of their key striker Kieu Trinh. Setter Khanh Huyen shared after the match: the absence of a major star is a loss, but it also serves as motivation for the whole team to unite and strive harder. She also revealed that the team had thorough professional and mental preparations during the rest days before the match.

On the other side, Thanh Hoa continued to reveal many limitations in their first-step play, defense, and the stability of domestic players. The isolated brilliance of Cai Xiaoqing was insufficient to help Coach Bui Huy Son's team create a surprise.

With this performance, the Information Corps showed they are gradually returning to their proper trajectory and are ready to compete fiercely in the next stages of the tournament.