VOLLEYBALL – Muharraq survived a tough battle against Al Nasser last night in a thrilling five-set encounter in the 2024-25 Isa Bin Rashid Bahrain Volleyball League.
The game, played at Isa Bin Rashid Arena at Isa Sports City in Riffa, was part of the third week of action in the Top Six stage.
After winning the first two sets in convincing fashion, Muharraq conceded the next two to send the contest into an exciting tie-break. There, the victors overcame an early deficit and Swedish professional Jacob Link came up with big plays down the stretch, helping lift his side to their hard-earned triumph with a 3-2 (25-21, 25-15, 21-25, 22-25, 15-12) score line.
Muharraq claimed their second win in three outings and handed their brave opponents their third loss in as many fixtures.
Aside from Link, Muharraq got key contributions from top stars Nasser Anan, Sayed Hashem Isa, Abbas Al Khabbaz, Mohammed Omar, and Majeed Mohammed.
Nasser, on the other hand, were spearheaded by the stellar performances of Pakistani import Murad Jehan and top local talents Ebrahim Mohammed and Hussain Al Jishi, among others.
Muharraq took a commanding two-set cushion and appeared headed for a clean sweep, but Nasser fought back. They kept Muharraq at bay in set three and Ebrahim Mohammed made it 24-21 before Jehan struck at the net to seal the frame.
Nasser then rode their newfound momentum into the fourth set although Muharraq stayed close. Muharraq managed to tie it at 21-apiece but Jehan then stepped up, contributing key points including the clinching spike and block that sent the match into the decisive fifth set.
There, Nasser were initially in front but Al Khabbaz forged a 9-all tie for Muharraq. They then went on to finish things off. Back-to-back monster blocks made it 11-9, and Link later scored two straight to make it 14-11. After a net fault kept Nasser alive, Muharraq finally secured the victory after Ebrahim Mohammed overhit his attack.
Meanwhile, in another week three contest, Al Ahli powered to a resounding 3-0 (25-18, 25-19, 25-23) victory over Nabih Saleh.
Ahli had strong performances from their top talents Ali Ebrahim, Hani Allawi, Sayed Mohammed Al Abbar, Ayman Haroona, Mahmood Hasan, Hasan Haider, and Hussain Sultan, as they stayed atop the standings with their third straight triumph while remaining undefeated.
Nabih Saleh, on the other hand, suffered their second loss to go with one win.
Both Muharraq and Ahli are amongst the top title contenders in this season’s Isa Bin Rashid Bahrain Volleyball League. They joined Al Najma as winners in week three of the Top Six round.
Najma claimed their second win in three fixtures after beating two-time defending champions Dar Kulaib in another exciting five-setter. Dar Kulaib suffered their second setback.
patrick@gdnmedia.bh
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