Indonesia's U-18 Women Team End AVC Campaign on Winning Note

RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta - Indonesia’s U-18 women’s volleyball team closed their campaign at the 2026 AVC Girls’ U18 Championship on a high note, defeating Mongolia 3-1 to secure seventh place in Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand, on Tuesday, July 7.

The victory came as a welcome response after the squad narrowly missed the chance to contest for fifth place. Team manager Luciana Taroreh praised the players’ resilience, noting that they bounced back with determination following a disappointing result the day before.

“We are grateful for today’s win. After the setback in the previous match, the players showed character, fighting spirit, and strong mentality to rise against Mongolia,” Luciana said in a statement from Jakarta, as quoted by Antara.

Indonesia initially stumbled, dropping the opening set 22-25. But Arimbi and her teammates quickly regained rhythm, leveling the score with a 25-20 win in the second set. From there, the Red-and-White grew in confidence, dominating the third set 25-12 and sealing the match with a 25-17 finish in the fourth.

Luciana emphasized that while the result was important for building confidence, the team still has technical aspects to refine--particularly consistency in play--if they are to compete more effectively at the Asian level.

The win followed a narrow 2-3 loss to Kazakhstan in the classification round for fifth to eighth place, where Indonesia fell short despite leading 12-9 in the deciding set. Earlier, their run to the semifinals was halted by host Thailand in the quarterfinals.

Despite finishing outside the top six, Luciana expressed gratitude for the support from Indonesian fans, calling it a major source of motivation. She added that the experience of facing Asia’s strongest teams would serve as valuable preparation for the young squad’s future development.

The seventh-place finish, capped by the victory over Mongolia, offered Indonesia a positive conclusion to a challenging tournament and a foundation to build upon in the years ahead. ***