In the lower half of the playoff bracket, the quarterfinals for classification from ninth to 16th place were also played on Thursday.
Led by 14-year-old opposite Decelise Champion with 21 points, Puerto Rico won the all-NORCECA clash with Canada by 3-1 (25-21, 16-25, 25-21, 25-19) and will meet Croatia on Friday at 17:00 (22:00) for spot in the ninth place match. Croatia celebrated their first win of the tournament, a 3-0 (25-15, 25-20, 25-19) shutout of the Dominican Republic. Outside Franka Golemac contributed a match-high 23 points.
Setter and captain Panthita Khongnok put away seven of Thailand’s 14 aces towards a 3-1 (25-13, 23-25, 25-17, 25-13) victory over Egypt, while outsides Fasai Sapphot and Nour Awad Elsafy led the scorers with 17 points each for Thailand and for Egypt, respectively. In their quest for the ninth place, Thailand will next take on Argentina at 20:00 (01:00 + 1 day). The latter managed a 3-0 (25-14, 25-21, 25-15) sweep of their game against fellow South Americans Ecuador. Argentina’s outside Justina Fortes was the best scorer of the match with 15 points.
In the semifinals within the lowest quarter of the bracket, Canada and the Dominican Republic will meet at 11:00 (16:00), while Egypt and Ecuador will face each other at 14:00 (19:00).