VOLLEYBALL – BAHRAIN’S Al Ahli and Dar Kulaib both barged through to the semi-finals last night in the fourth Wava Men’s Clubs Volleyball Championship, currently being played in Kuwait City.
The kingdom’s two representatives in the West Asia Volleyball Association (Wava) tournament each posted resounding three-set sweeps in their respective matches in the elite eight. Ahli outclassed Ittihad of Saudi Arabia 3-0 (25-21, 25-18, 25-17) while Dar Kulaib followed suit with their own 3-0 (25-19, 28-26, 25-17) triumph against South Gas Sports Club from Iraq.
Unfortunately for both Bahraini sides, one of them will no longer be in title contention following the final four stage as they will be facing off in a hugely exciting clash for a berth in the gold medal game. Their semis head-to-head is scheduled for tomorrow at 6pm, and it will be a mouth-watering affair between the familiar foes, both of whom are perennial championship hopefuls in the Isa bin Rashid Bahrain Volleyball League. The other contest in the last four will be between Al Rayyan of Qatar and hosts Kuwait Sports Club.
Rayyan ousted their compatriots from Al Wakrah Sports Club 3-0 (25-17, 25-23, 25-16) in another quarter-final yesterday, while Kuwait defeated Seeb from Oman 3-1 (25-22, 26-24, 23-25, 25-19).
Their game in tomorrow’s semis is scheduled for a 4pm start. The winners will march forward to the title-decider, scheduled for Saturday at 5pm, while the losers will lock horns for the bronze medals that same afternoon at 3pm. All times are Bahrain.
Aside from the medal fixtures, ranking matches will also be held today and Friday to determine fifth through 10th place on the final standings.
In Ahli’s win yesterday, they received key contributions from their top players Ali Ebrahim, Mohammed Anan, Sayed Mohammed Alabbar, Mahmood Abdulhussain, Hani Alawi, Hasan Haider, Ayman Harwana, Hussain Mansoor, and Hussain Sultan, among others.
Coached by Renato Castro from Brazil, Ahli will be looking to improve on their bronze-medal finish from the last edition of the tournament, which was hosted by the kingdom last year.
Dar Kulaib, meanwhile, saw their leading talents come up big in last night’s victory, including Hasan Alwarqaa, Mahmoud Abdulwahed, Abbas Abdulla, Ali Habib, Hassan Alaiwi, Kenyan professional Enock Mogeni, and Pakistani volleyball star Murad Jehan, who made his debut with the team.
Dar Kulaib, guided by head coach Ivan Joksimovic from Montenegro, are aiming for their first medal in the Wava event. They also took part in its inaugural edition, held in 2023 in Jordan, where they came one spot shy of the podium after finishing third.
patrick@gdnmedia.bh
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