"Serah Ankomah," a rising setter of Thai-Ghanaian heritage, opens up after being named to train with the Thailand women's national volleyball team senior squad for 2026.
On 8 Apr 2025 GMT+7, following the announcement by the Volleyball Association of Thailand of 30 female volleyball players selected to train for key competitions in 2026—including the Nations League (VNL), SEA V League, Asian Championship, and 2026 Asian Games—"Serah Ankomah," the Thai-Ghanaian younger sister of Thailand men's national volleyball player Napadech Pinijdee, was named to train as a setter.
"Serah Ankomah," who plays both libero and setter, shared her feelings after being named again to the senior team: "I am very happy to be selected again because I was already part of the team at the SEA Games before, which was a great experience."
"I felt the SEA Games were very enjoyable because it was my first time joining, and I was with the senior team. Previously, I had only been on the youth national team once at U16 and then only played school matches. Coming back this time has been a very valuable experience."
"At the moment I saw the roster, I was happy that the coach chose me, even though I haven't played in any league—only school matches. But the coach saw my potential, so that's okay. My brother sent me the list, and I checked—it really was my name."
"My strength, I think, is that I’m tall and my blocking at the net is decent. I believe I can still develop many other aspects. I’m just 17 years and 3 months old and want to continue enjoying this. I don’t want to overthink it. When I first saw the comments, many people disagreed and questioned why I was selected. I did think about it a bit, but after talking with my brother and family, they told me to just focus on myself. Since the coach chose me, I just have to do my best. From my perspective, I believe there are many things I want to achieve—not just in volleyball."