Waritsara opens up about facing heavy criticism following the Thai women's volleyball team's first victory in VNL 2026.
On 18 June 2026, Fern Waritsara Sithalerth, a rising star middle blocker of the Thai women's national volleyball team, gave an interview after the second match of the second round of the 2026 FIVB Women's Volleyball Nations League (VNL) held at Indoor Stadium Huamark, Bangkok.
In this match, the Thai women's volleyball team performed excellently as a unit, defeating Bulgaria decisively 3-0 in sets (25-22, 25-20, 25-17). This secured their first win in VNL 2026, bringing their total to 6 points, moving up from 17th to 14th place in the standings and climbing from 25th to 20th in the world rankings.
Fern Waritsara Sithalerth shared her thoughts after Thailand's first VNL 2026 win, saying, "It really helped me unlock a lot because I had received a lot of criticism, so I was under quite a bit of pressure."
"(Regarding the first win in VNL 2026) I'm happy and very excited to have earned 3 points and our first victory. Today we served well and mixed our attacks effectively, tricking their blockers, which allowed us to score many points. We also helped each other a lot."
"(About the time I served consecutively on the court) I wanted to get my serve over first because I often make service errors. My teammates encouraged me, and the coach also motivated me, which gave me confidence and helped me serve well."
"When I was substituted in, I had nothing to lose, so I just played my hardest."
"(Anything to say to fans who criticized us?) I'd rather not say anything. I'll just show them through my performance. Thank you. In the game against Canada, I will give my all and aim for another win. Don't forget to come and cheer us on a lot."
In the third match of VNL 2026's second round, the Thai women's volleyball team will face Canada, ranked 9th in the world, on Saturday, 20 June 2026 at 20:30 GMT+7.