VOLLEYBALL – BAHRAIN cruised to a convincing 3-0 (25-14, 25-15, 25-15) victory over Lebanon last night for a winning start to their gold medal bid in the first WAVA Men’s Volleyball Championship 2025, which got underway yesterday in the kingdom.
The Bahrainis were in a class of their own in the Pool A contest, played at Isa bin Rashid Arena, located at Isa Sports City in Riffa. They controlled the match from the opening ball and never wavered, securing their impressive win in just over an hour.
Also taking victories on opening day yesterday were the UAE, Qatar, and Oman. Like Bahrain, all three teams enjoyed resounding wins in straight sets, with the Emiratis beating Jordan in the other Pool A contest, and the Qataris outplaying Saudi Arabia and with the Omanis battling past Kuwait, both in Pool B.
Bahrain Volleyball Association (BVA) president Shaikh Ali bin Mohammed Al Khalifa attended yesterday’s games along with other high-ranking officials from the BVA and West Asia Volleyball Association (WAVA).
The tournament’s preliminary round continues today with another four fixtures on schedule at the same venue. The Saudis and Kuwaitis will be looking to bounce back from their setbacks when they face off at 1pm, while the UAE will be looking to maintain their winning ways against Lebanon at 3pm. Qatar and Oman battle at 5pm, after which Bahrain take on Jordan in the evening’s feature match at 7pm.
Entrance to the competition is free of charge. All are welcome to attend and watch the exciting volleyball action.
In Bahrain’s victory, the nationals raced out to a commanding 7-1 advantage and maintained their fine form throughout the opening set. An Ali Ebrahim spike made it 20-10, and later Mohammed Yaqoob secured the early match advantage with a stunning service ace.
The second set mirrored the first, with a Hani Alawi attack putting the Bahrainis up 12-4. Mohammed Anan later made a contribution and gave the nationals a 16-5 cushion, before veteran Mahmoud Abdulwahed delivered the clinching smash for the 2-0 lead.
In the third frame, the Lebanese put up some more resistance and initially stayed within striking distance before Bahrain pulled away. Sayed Hashem Issa scored for a 12-8 edge, and then Anan attacked for a 17-11 lead. They rode their momentum to the finish and a Lebanon block-out on an Abdulwahed smash gave Bahrain their sweep.
Anan and Issa finished as the hosts’ top scorers in their big win, scoring eight points apiece for Arnaud Josserand’s side.
Meanwhile, the UAE also had a strong performance against Jordan, who put up a valiant fight. The Emiratis prevailed, however, with a 3-0 (25-18, 28-26, 25-21) score line. Mohammed Al Suwaidi was their top scorer with 15 points while teammate Mohammed Saif added 13. Mahmood Al Naqib paced the Jordanians with 14 points in defeat.
In Oman’s triumph, they dug deep into their arsenal to eke out two narrow set wins en route to their 3-0 (25-23, 25-15, 25-23) triumph against Kuwait. Ismail Al Haidi scored 12 points to lead Oman, while Kuwait’s Rashed Anbar was the game’s leading scorer with 21 points in a losing effort.
Qatar were a force against the Saudis, who they overpowered 3-0 (25-18, 25-19, 25-14) to show their intent. Youssef Oughlaf had 14 points to lead the Qataris, who are among the favourites to take the gold medals in the competition, being the highest-ranked squad on the FIVB Men’s Volleyball World Ranking in 22nd in the world.
patrick@gdnmedia.bh
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