Regretful "Bunyarit" reveals the cause of the Thai men's volleyball team's loss to Australia, resulting in elimination from the Asian Championship quarterfinals.
On 10 September 2026, Fluke Bunyarit Wongthorn, setter and captain of the Thai men's national volleyball team, spoke after the team's 2026 Asian Championship quarterfinal loss to Australia, ranked 42nd in the world.
In this match, the Thai men's volleyball team failed to overcome Australia's strong blocks and lost 0-3 sets (22-25, 24-26, 19-25), missing the chance to make history by reaching the Asian Championship semifinals for the first time, much to their regret.
Captain Fluke Bunyarit Wongthorn explained the reason for today's loss to Australia: "I think we lacked precision. They also made simple mistakes that were opportunities for us, but we couldn't capitalize on each point."
"We don't want to blame the first ball too much, but if the first ball isn't good, it really makes playing difficult. Personally, I tried to set the ball as best as I could, but there were still mistakes. I wanted to win but couldn't, which is very disappointing. However, there was nothing we could do."
"(Was there a lot of pressure about reaching the final four?) We wanted to get there at least once and to achieve it, but we couldn't."
"(What would you like to say to the fans?) We need to keep improving. It's quite difficult; we haven't overcome this hurdle yet. We don't blame any individual. We play as a team; if we lose, we lose together. We'll keep fighting."
Next, the Thai men's volleyball team will compete at the 2026 Asian Games in Japan from 27 September to 3 October. Thailand is in Group B alongside Iran, Indonesia, and Kyrgyzstan.