The semifinal match between Visakha (in blue) and Thailand’s Nakhon Ratchasima took place on Saturday. Volleyball federation
Cambodia’s Visakha volleyball team failed to defend their championship title at the Win+Streak Volleyball Invitation (WSVI) Tournament 2025 in Taiwan, finishing only in fourth place. Thailand’s top team, Nakhon Ratchasima, emerged as the eventual champions.
Aing Serey Piseth, secretary-general of the Cambodian Volleyball Federation (CVF), who led the delegation to the tournament, believed that Visakha lacked confidence, solidarity and internal unity — factors that led to their loss to Nakhon Ratchasima in the semifinals, costing them the chance to reach the final and defend their title.
In a team talk on Sunday with players and coaches in the locker room, Serey Piseth shared his thoughts.
“We lost (to Nakhon Ratchasima) yesterday because we lacked confidence, had no solidarity and were not united internally. These are key aspects in sports. Losing is not something to fear, but what we should fear most is not accepting our mistakes,” he said.
“Remember, we came here for victory, not just for experience. Yesterday’s loss hurt some players, it hurt the coaches, it hurt all 17 million Cambodians — and it hurt me many times more than all of you,” he added.
Visakha were unable to capitalise in a first set victory, losing the match, and with it, the chance to defend their title. Volleyball federation
At the WSVI Tournament 2025 in Taiwan, which began on April 30, Visakha performed well in the group stage. They defeated MBSA Pelican from Malaysia 3–0, lost narrowly to Chinese Taipei 2 by 3–2, and then beat Cheonan Hyundai Capital SKY Walkers from South Korea 3–1 on Friday.
These results gave Visakha 1st place in Group A with 7 points, while Chinese Taipei 2 finished second with 5 points after an unexpected loss to MBSA Pelican.
However, in Saturday’s May 3 semifinals, it was Chinese Taipei 2 who pulled off a stunning 3–1 victory over Korea Armed Forces (the top team from Group B) to reach the final.
By contrast, Visakha only did well in the first set against Nakhon Ratchasima, winning it 29–27. But they underperformed in the next three sets, frequently getting blocked and unable to contain the Thai team's attack. As a result, Visakha lost the next three sets 25–19, 25–21 and 25–17, a deeply disappointing outcome.
They went on to lose the third-place playoff with the South Korean Armed Forces team on Sunday. Volleyball federation
The 3–1 loss to Nakhon Ratchasima denied Visakha the chance to defend their title and dropped them into the third-place match against Korea Armed Forces on Sunday. They were beaten again, this time 3–0, with set scores of 30–28, 25–18 and 25–21, finishing in fourth place — even though the team had invested heavily this year by bringing in three French and one German player to help defend their title.
In the final match, Nakhon Ratchasima defeated Chinese Taipei 2 in straight sets— 25–21, 25–16 and 25–19 —to become the WSVI Tournament 2025 champions in thrilling fashion. Thai players also took home five individual awards, while three individual awards went to players from the Korea Armed Forces team.
Aing Serey Piseth, volleyball federation secretary-general, led the Cambodian delegation to the tournament. Volleyball federation
