Vietnam's top female spiker makes record streak

Vietnamese tallest spiker Nguyen Thi Ngoc Hoa, who will play the semifinal at the international volleyball tournament here on Friday, has been a record maker in the country's volleyball history.

The 1.8-meter Nguyen Thi Ngoc Hoa, born in 1987, has the highest reach of 315 centimeters as a spiker. On average, in a match, she scores around 20 points, the level of Thailand's leading player or an European athlete.

She has become the sole athlete who has participated in all the 12 international women's volleyball tournaments - VTV Cup.

She has attended the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games seven times, the most for a Vietnamese volleyballer. She surpassed her compatriot Pham Thi Kim Hue to make the new record at the 28th SEA Games in Singapore.

She is also one of the first Vietnamese athletes to have played for foreign clubs with a salary of thousands of U.S. dollars a month. In 2014, she helped Ayutthaya to win the Thailand Super League. Earlier, some clubs in Southeast Asian countries, Japan and the United States invited her to play for them.

Born in the southern province of Long An in a family with no connection to sports, Nguyen Thi Ngoc Hoa started to become a national volleyballer in 2003 at the age of 16. Since then, she has always been a pillar of the national squad at all tournaments.

Domestic experts said that she is qualified enough to play in Asian volleyball powerhouses such as China and Thailand, even Japan.

Ayutthaya offered special treatment to Nguyen Thi Ngoc Hoa. She had the right to play for the Vietnamese club of Binh Dien Long An, then flied to Thailand just before the competition day to play for Ayutthaya. Nguyen Thi Ngoc Hoa was present in Thailand only two weeks but received a net salary of some 3,000 U.S. dollars for two months. The Thai club additionally paid her some 400 U.S. dollars for each match she participated in.

At the ongoing 12 international women's volleyball tournaments (VTV Cup), Nguyen Thi Ngoc Hoa has performed well with spectacular cross-court shots, smart dumps, and quick hits. The player has gained a total of 14 personal titles, including the tournament's best player three times (in 2008, 2013 and 2014). In 2009, Nguyen Thi Ngoc Hoa and her teammates topped the tournament with all seven wins, and she gained three personal titles, including the best player, the best attacker and the best blocker.

Since Nguyen Thi Ngoc Hoa became the national squad's captain in 2009, she has become a strong support for her teammates both professionally and morally. She has made great contributions to Vietnam's four-time championships at the international tournaments in 2007, 2008, 2010 and 2014. This year, Vietnam is forecast to vie for the trophy with the Chinese volleyball club of Liaoning. The final result will come out on Saturday.

"We do want to win the International Women's Volleyball Tournament this year to give the title as a gift to our coach Thai Thanh Tung. He will say goodbye to the national squad after the tournament," Nguyen Thi Ngoc Hoa said.

On a Vietnamese television program on July 3, Nguyen Thi Ngoc Hoa shared interesting aspects of her private life. She has married Le Thai Binh, a volleyball player of Long An Club. She has had to delay her pregnancy to focus on competition.

"The soles of my high-heeled shoes are big, not pointed as usual, so that they can carry my weight," she smiled blushingly. Endi